1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
To Negative For Young Children, August 28, 2011
This review is from: The Summer of Riley (Paperback)
My daughter is reading this in her fifth grade class. She doesn't like this book, and she says that it bothers her that someone would want to harm an animal simply because it chases a horse which is what animals will do. I have noticed over the years that the books she reads at school are not books I would even read at home. It doesn't surprise me that to much books about negative things such as divorce, and killing results in many kids having mental health issues. I try to balance it out with good books at home, but parents be alarmed these are not kids books.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Look At "The Summer of Riley", August 17, 2010
A Kid's Review
This review is from: The Summer of Riley (Paperback)
This summer I read "The Summer of Riley" by Eve Bunting. It's a story about a boy's dog who is sentenced to death for chasing a horse, and his owner's efforts to save his life.
The book is both heart-breaking.....and some-what happy. The most heart-breaking part to me is probably when Riley (the dog) is forcefully taken from William (Riley's owner/main character). Bunting writes: I grabbed him (Riley) around the neck and tried not to let Dad clip the leash onto his collar. "No. No." I kept pushing his hand away. I heard Riley whine, the doors of the truck slam, and the wheels crunch down the driveway.
Tugs on your heartstrings, doesn't it? Well, I won't tell you the good part, because that would ruin the surprise. But there IS a good part. Trust me.
This a book that you will not be able to put down, because you will need to know what becomes of Riley, William, and the other characters. I would recommend this book to people who like a story with suspense and surprises, which is definitely me!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Summer of Riley, January 24, 2006
A Kid's Review
This review is from: The Summer of Riley (Paperback)
The Review of the Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting
Do you love story's that talk about a child that a dog is one of his best friends? Well if you do this book is right for you. Riley is the dog and Will is the boy and in this book they have a very strong bond that turns to the worse. Where did Riley go? Will we find him?
The characters in this book would be Will, Grace, Ellis, The Sultan, and Riley. Will is the main character and is a very out going kind of guy. Grace is Will's best friend and is always there when will needs her. Ellis is a bully to Will and try's to make Will's life even worse than it was before. Sultan is the famous, But retired, race horse and with the Sultan Riley try's to chase the Sultan and Mrs. Peachie Thinks its all Will's fault because Will didn't keep track of Riley and that the fact that riley wasn't on a leash. Also we can't forget Riley, He's Will's dog and at some point of time Riley seems as if he were a human friend.
This book has 3 main themes to it, friendship, hate, and confusion to it. When Will hears his mom and dad fighting down stares he doesn't know what to do. Should he go back to bead and forget about it or should he go down stairs to see what's going on. Also when Will finds Riley after his grandpa's death Will feels that there is some kind of hope that may have been in the corner all that time. Also every time Will runs into Ellis no matter when he is once again Ellis try's to do something that Will hates but Ellis doesn't care.
The setting in this book includes Will's room, outside, and the dog shelter.
The dog shelter plays some what of a big role because that is where found Riley and sad his hair looks as if he were a lion. When Will is in his room he try's to think of the things he did wrong and what he could of done to fix is mistakes. He also thinks of his friends and family like Grace and his grandpa .When Will is outside he's mostly playing with Riley, and Grace. The three buds.
When you read this book you will know exactly how the charter feels and what their personality's are like with all the charters. So if you like a good book that you know where in the book the charter is and how he or she feels like this is the right book to read. Also while your reading this book you can tell the themes is this book because they talk about it a lot and show it really well. I would truly recommend this book to someone who likes to read a book that keeps you on your toes but yet isn't a mystery book. So remember when you're looking for a good book that you can read chose, The Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting.
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