 The Booklist 's Ellen Mandel extolled the novel for its " moving and powerful look " at the virtues and vices of human nature and the murky moral choices in conflicts of everyday life . In her favorable review of Shiloh , Betsy Hearne of The Bulletin of the Center for Children 's Books wrote that " readers will be absorbed by the suspenseful plot , which will leave them with some memorable characterizations as well as several intriguing ethical questions " . K.B. Cartwright of The Reading Teacher also praised the novel for providing a " gripping account of family conflict and honesty " . In a similarly positive review , Kirkus Reviews praised the book for being a " gripping account of a mountain boy 's love for a dog he 's hiding from its owner " . Calling it " unusually warm and moving " , Heather Vogel Frederick of The Christian Science Monitor praised the novel for being an " excellent choice as a family read @-@ aloud " . 
