My Student’s Questions

Comment:
I am a teacher and I just finished reading Shiloh with my 3-4 grade students. I teach at a small Lutheran school, so my class consists of 5 wonderful children! They are so excited that this site exists. They have some questions for you. If you have time to answer, they would absolutely be thrilled to hear from you!
1. How did you come across the idea of David Howard?

I’m not sure.  I think I wanted to portray a friend from a different economic level, so that readers would know that there are residents in West Virginia who live very comfortable lives, and those like Marty’s family, who have to be very careful with their money.

2. Can you tell us anymore about Judd? Is there are specific reason he loves to hunt?

He makes his living this way, possibly selling the meat or skins to various customers, as well as furnishing food for himself.  There are so many woods and mountains in West  Virginia that hunting season often means a full freezer of food for the family.

3. Do you know if/who the real-life Shiloh was abused by? (Is Judd’s character based off a real person, or was that part your imagination?)

Based entirely on my imagination, since we never did find out who the dog belonged to previously.

4. Did the real-life Shiloh get attacked by a dog?

We don’t know the history of Clover, the real dog.  All I knew when we found her was that she was hungry, dirty, and scared.

5. What did your friends end up naming the real-life Shiloh?

Clover.

6. What is your favorite book you have written? We would love to read it, too!

Probably Shiloh.  You would love the three books that follow the relationship between Marty, Judd and Shiloh:   Shiloh Season, Saving Shiloh, and A Shiloh Christmas.

My kids want to tell you, “The book was absolutely amazing!”

Thank you for writing to tell me so.   Phyllis