Shiloh

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s novel Shiloh is a classic representation about the relationship between a boy and a dog. Eleven-year-old Marty Preston learned to accept responsibility for the dog he rescued from an abusive owner. As the novel progresses, Marty has to face many obstacles. He has to learn to live with himself and his god by making difficult choices and standing by them. Shiloh teaches readers many lessons about the consequences of lying to your family and friends. Throughout the story, Marty Preston has to pay the penalty for lying.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was born on January 4, 1933, in Anderson, Indiana. Naylor lived in several Midwestern states before settling in Bethesda, Maryland. She wanted to be a writer since she was ten years old. Naylor graduated high school from Joliet Township High School in 1951 and went on to Joliet Junior College, graduating in 1953 (Carris 1). After Junior College, Naylor went to American University and obtained a Bachelors of Arts degree in clinical psychology. In 1960, after receiving her bachelor’s degree, she married Rex Naylor. They had two sons together named Jeff and Mike. Several years before considering herself a full-time writer, Naylor taught at an elementary school and worked part-time as an editor for a magazine company (Otis 1). Phyllis Reynolds Naylor has been an American fiction and non-fiction author. Since being an author, Naylor has had over 100 books published; many of them being children’s books. Shiloh, her 64th book, won the Newbery Medal in 1992 and was followed by 24 additional titles. As a child, Naylor dealt with religious doubt. She wrote A String of Chances in 1982; this was about a character that questioned religion. She was also well known for writing The Year of the Gopher (1987) and Send No Blessings (1991), featuring characters struggling for self-acceptance and self-esteem (Carris 1). Rex Naylor, the author’s husband, wrote a short profile on his wife and her love for...