 Reviewer Cecilia Goodnow noted that Shiloh is a Bildungsroman and adventure novel . Marty undergoes a physical and emotional transformation in his quest to save Shiloh . After confronting an abusive adult , he mentally grows , concluding : " I saved Shiloh and opened my eyes some . Now that ain 't bad for eleven . " Salem Press 's Carol Ann Gearhart has characterized the novel as domestic realism . 
