Liza Fireman's Reviews > Shiloh

There is something wonderful in children's books. My daughter and I took as a project to go through Newberry Award winners, and many of them are really great, this one included.

Marty Preston saves his dog from an abusive owner. Shiloh actually belongs to Judd Travers who drinks too much and has a gun. Marty loves the dog deeply and gets in trouble trying to care for him.

Marty secrets are becoming larger: A lie. That's a flat-out lie. Funny how one lie leads to another and before you know it, your whole life can be a lie.

His love to the dog is heartwarming, and the fear of Judd (who Marty encounters a lot) does not prevent from Marty to still put the dog as top priority. He says: If Jesus ever comes back to earth again, I'm thinking, he'll come as a dog, because there isn't anything as humble or patient or loving or loyal as the dog I have in my arms right now. That is not a small thing when Jesus appears in the book quite a lot: "may Jesus make you blind." That's the kind of talk my folks can't stand, but I got it from Grandma Preston herself. Ma says Jesus don't go around making anyone blind, but Grandma Preston always used it as a warning and she went to church Sunday morning and evening both.

Shiloh won the Newberry Award for Literature, and rightfully so. Almost 4.5 stars.
I recommend also to read Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, another great book for children about dogs.