Customer Reviews

The Summer of Riley

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

I would give this book 5/5 stars. Because this is about a kid named william whose grandpa just died so he and his Mom and he go and adopt a dog and his mom let him get by with getting a dog. But one day dog does something wrong he bites the neighbors horse and pachie the his moms best friend pachie files a complaint and william and Grace his best friend have 21 days to save Rileys the life. Recommended this book to people who like dog

I gave this book 5 stars because I love this book. It shows how a young boy can grow a bond with a dog in a few days, and also how hard someone will work to save a life even though they might never see them again. I recommend this book to everyone who loves animals. This book is well-written and it kept my interest.
This book is about a kid named William whose grandfather died and his mother got him a dog to help him out with the death.Well the dog seemed perfect but it chased a old horse. And the pond was called Riley was supposed to be euthanized. William and his friends are trying to save his life.

This book shows drama and is a dog story. Have you heard of the saying "Dog is a man's best friend"? Well at times when I read this I think Dog is anyone's best friend. I love this book because this book shows a loving owner that wants to do everything it takes to save a dog he only had for several days. I love this book and will always remember it. I rate this book a five cause I believe it deserves that or more! I will remember this book as a favorite!

This is one of the best books I Have ever read. Its about a dog named Riley, I know how some dogs could be annoying because I have a dog, but this dog is a well behaved pup. Until one day he started chasing a horse and the owner of the horse called the animal control society and they took Riley away. Riley's owner which was a boy, was really mad that they took away Riley his best dog friend so he started thinking of a plan to get his dog back but the first plan did not work the second plan was better but it also did not work the last plan worked and the boy was happy.

I really enjoyed this book and I love animals such as Riley. I really hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

The Summer of Riley by Eve Bunting is a coming of age story of an eleven year old boy named William. William must deal with the recent death of a grandfather along with the acceptance of his parents separation.
His mother drives him into to Portland, Oregon to secure the one thing that could help William get through this difficult time during his life. He picks out a Lab from the pound which the previous owners had named Riley.
Riley is the best thing that has happened to William since the death of his grandfather, until Riley decides to chase the neighbors prize winning racehorse.
It this hearbreaking twist of fate, Riley is taken from William because it is the law in Oregon that any animal that chases livestock must be put to death. William and his best friend Grace must come up with a plan to save Riley while facing strong opposition. Will they have enough time to do what needs to be done to save Riley?
This book is heartwarming and charming. The young man William, who is the dominant character in this book, overcomes many obstacles that children this age can identify with. He must deal with death, the divorce of his parents, and a broken relationship with his father. With the absence of Riley, he must focus and deal with all of these stuggles.
I would higly recommend this book for any 4-6 grader or even any reader who enjoys a good animal story.

Eve Bunting wrote the summer of Riley. In the story Riley there are a lot of exciting and scary parts like when Will's dog is accused of almost killing an old horse that has won many awards and races in the past. A problem that Will has is when everyone blames Riley for stuff that he didn't do which means that Will might have to give away his dog. Riley is a very nice and friendly dog, which is why it's hard to imagine him hurting anything or anyone. Will is the kind of boy that always does what he says he will do. When he wanted a dog he kept at it until he got what he wanted. The farmer who owned the horse was very stubborn and was very mad at Will's dog for almost killing her horse. Will's parents are the kind of people who are very hard to convince to buy you stuff but after a lot of begging they agree.
The mood of the story is very sad at some parts but it gets happier towards the end. Will is sort of grumpy in the beginning of the story but once he gets Riley he's a lot happier and satisfied with his life. Will learns a lot when he gets Riley and has a real friend for once in his life. I really liked this book because the dog was always by Will's side and was the perfect friend. I also liked this book because the Author was very descriptive and it really felt like you were in the book. I think that this book is best for third and forth graders (ages 8-9) because it's not that long of a book and there aren't very many hard words but it's still very detailed. This book can be pretty scary at parts but sad sometimes too. The Author has a very vivid way of writing so she always makes things very clear. There is a lot of vivid language especially on the dangerous and exciting parts.

Nonethe summer of riley is a great book that i recomend this to readers that are beggining to read i hope you love this book as much as i do sydnie age10