 Scholars Alethea Helbig and Agnes Perkins wrote that the " Appalachian setting is well evoked , in both its beauty and its code of ethics that Marty must defy to save the dog " . Reviewer Ellen Mandel of Booklist wrote that the " West Virginia dialect richly seasons the true @-@ to @-@ life dialogue " . Kenneth E. Kowen of School Library Journal perceived an incongruity in Naylor 's depiction of Marty 's family . He noted that Marty 's father is a postman , one of the best paid jobs in suburban settings . In the novel , however , the family is poverty @-@ stricken . 
