The Summer of Riley

by Eve Bunting

Enjoy best-selling author Eve Bunting’s moving story about the bond between a boy and his dog. "Maybe that's one of the reasons people get dogs, to kind of close up the empty places inside them." Eleven-year-old William never needed a friend more than now. After his parents' separation, his father's new engagement, and his grandfather's dying without any warning—adopting big, beautiful Riley is the first thing in a long time that has made him feel better. That is, until Riley innocently chases a horse. Local law states that any animal that chases livestock must be put to sleep. Suddenly William stands to lose another thing close to him. Together with his friend Grace, William begins a campaign to reverse the county commissioners' decision. But with a community divided on the issue, and the bully Ellis Porter trying to stop them at every turn, will they be able to save Riley's life? Celebrated author Eve Bunting shows William's determined struggle to fight for what he believes in.  The Summer of Riley  is an inspiring novel about learning to accept life's changes, the healing power of friendship, and the unending desire to protect those we love.

Genres: Animals, Fiction, Dogs, Middle Grade, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Claudia Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a spot in my heart that does not have words to describe how sad it truly was. The book has a wonderful theme that describes the true meaning of love.
************************SPOILER ALERT**************************

This is such a magnificent, touching book. It's about a boy named William, his parents’ divorce and his father is already getting engaged to a woman William doesn't even know. William’s mother decides to get William a dog to try to get him cope better with the divorce and marriage. He gets a beautiful golden retriever. Together he and his mom name the dog Riley. Riley and he had an amazing summer. But, one day Riley gets loose and chases after some horses. There is a law that says that if an animal chases after cattle they have to be put down. How much will William go through to save Riley or will he?

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Tara Callahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good book about resilience and never giving up on things.

[Claudia-joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Summer of Riley" by: Eve Bunting. In "The Summer of Riley," the story takes place in the town of the William's. The main character, William, has trouble at home with his parents being divorced, and as the only child he hopes his parents will get back together soon. Another conflict in the story is that William recently lost his grandfather. His mother thought it would be a great idea to get William a dog to help him not feel so lonely.
The dog's name is Riley and he is from the pound. Grace,William's best freind, goes to the pound with William to help pick out Riley. Riley has become an important part of Williams life. Unfortunately, Riley injured the neighbor's horse and was sent to the pound for a 21 day evaluation. In this drama yet realistic fiction story I have learned to believe in what is right even if you have no support team. When I first chose "The Summer of Riley" I thought it would be a really good book, but it was only ok. I liked the main idea, but at times the book dragged. Over all I would recommend this book if you are a dog lover like me because there is such an emotional connection between William and Riley just like in real life.

~Claudia Noorigian

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy fights to save the life of Riley, the dog he loves, after Riley runs afoul of Oregon state law. Emotionally challenging for kids who are dog lovers, but parents take note: there is a happy ending.

[Grant · Rating 1 out of 5]

My wife left me alone too long in the thrift store, and I picked out a bunch of books...mostly children's books and mostly chosen on the merits of cover art alone.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing that saves the dog is luck. Yes, that's a spoiler for the ending, but of course you want to know that the dog doesn't die, so there you go. And the better part of the book is the explorations of everyone's attitudes, perspectives, motivations. Those get pretty nuanced, complex, mostly (though some community members did def. overreact).

The book would have been better though if the situation itself were explored more carefully. I can't believe the choices are put him down or think about maybe sending him to a shelter in the city with a note in his record. Never did they even think that maybe the dog was trying to play with the horse, never did they consider any other options.

And the horse's owner, well, I'm glad she let her anger cool, but goodness. I dropped charges on a dog that actually bit me, with only the proviso that the owner fixed the fence. And I only needed a brief conversation with the owner to make that decision, to realize the dog was loved & would be kept from a repeat incident. The horse owner was practically a godmother to the boy; you'd think she'd be more compassionate, not so reactionary.

[Alexa · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's a no from me on this book.

Overall I just felt that every character had the same personality and were so one-dimensional that you couldn't connect to any of them at all. The writing was a little rough with information being given in a short little sentence such as "Dr. Webber was the vet" instead of artfully weaving this information (which wasn't really important anyways) into the neighboring sentences.

The story itself wasn't very good. So the boy gets a dog and has it for a couple weeks and it's the perfect dog until it chases a horse and then suddenly the owner of the horse (who is supposed to be a super close family friend) wants the dog to be put to sleep. Then the whole entire town takes sides and really radically approach the situation. I just felt like that was really unrealistic and the fact that many grown adults were yelling at and threatening a little boy was going a little too far.

All in all this story was forgetable and I'm not really sure what it was trying to do.

[Lorenzo Costanza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book entitled The Summer Of Riley by Eve Bunting. This book was about an 11 year old boy named Will and his dog named Riley. Riley had been chasing their neighbors horse, the neighbor called animal control and Riley was taken away to get put down. Some of Will's closest friends are supporting him and helping him try to get Riley back. What I liked about this book is how the author used so much detail to describe what was happening. In the end I felt sad because Riley had gotten put down and Will didn't get to see Riley again. I would rate this book a 5 star and would recommend it to ages 11 and up.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have taken on a project of looking for books about divorce for kids. This would be for upper elementary to young middle I think. It's about a boy and his dog. The dog may be put down for scaring a horse. Its a story of love, that has some tidbits of divorce, the death of a grandpa, friendship, bullies,... its a feeling book but its subtlely sprinkled through the story of a boy trying to say his dog. I feel like it would help children going through a divorce to know they aren't alone. Others may appear to put together and cool, but we are all just doing our best based on what has happened to us in life.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

William got his dog, Riley, exactly 2 months after his grandpa died. Riley is the perfect dog and William quickly grows attached. But when Riley chases the neighbor lady's horse, she files a complaint and the dog must be taken away. The law requires all dogs that attack livestock to be destroyed. William and Gracie start a campaign to save Riley's life. But just as determined as they are to save Riley, Ellis Porter wants to see him die. Why does Ellis hate dogs so much? In a final confrontation with Ellis, William finds out that the bully has a few fears of his own.

[Madison B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Summer of RILEY
WARNING:SPOILERS
William was a little kid when his grandpa died. After his grandpa died William wanted someone to have to talk to. He got a dog and named it RILEY. Riley ran to William's neighbor's house and Riley got taken away. I liked this book, because I like dogs. I rated this book a star, because I like dogs and I like a good cry. People who like dogs and a good cry would enjoy this book.

[Maximus Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book the Summer of Riley was amazing. It was about a boy named William who got his dog Riley 2 months after his grandpa died so he would have a companion. Riley accidentally let Riley out and he got away and chased a neighbors horse causing it to trip and fall and hurt itself. The book is about him battling for him to keep his dog and not allow it to go to the pound.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone gave my husband this book because we have a Golden Retriever named Riley and the dog on the cover looks like a golden. It turns out the Riley in the book is a lab/collie mix but it doesn't really matter. The story of a few kids banding together to try to save a dog isn't exactly what the reader expects and teaches several lessons in a not-too-heavyhanded way.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reckoned this from ages 8-12. I read it with my 4th graders. This is a sweet book about divorce, loss, friendship and acceptance. Eve Bunting is a genius with words, and this subtle, tender book is no exception. She can talk about big topics in so few words and her characters are flawed and kind.

Loved it!

[Cindy Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This realistic fiction book is great for mid to late elementary children. It is slow to start, but then reads like a real-life story. It pulls the reader in emotionally, making it relatable to children and adults, alike. I was compelled to keep reading and find out what would happen to Riley, the dog.

[Denise Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wliam gets a dog to help him deal with his grandfather's death. Riley escapes from his yard and injures a neighbor's horse. A law punishes any animal that injures livestock. Can William save Riley from death or will the law prevail? Gut wrenching story about a love of a pet.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty uneventful, sad ending!

[Rhonda K · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son and I mostly enjoyed reading this. He is 8 y.o. The topics of euthanasia, bullying, and divorce come up, so there are a lot of talking points for parents or teachers and young readers.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is pretty so this book is about a dog and this boy and they are and they went to discover things everywhere and the dog is the coolest dog ever and he is good to his owner.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story!

[Cmf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very emotional, might upset some kids.

[George Rebar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholastic does do some good books

[Susie McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot to think about in this book. It did have a happy ending, though for the dog and the boy did come to terms with some things in his life.

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a good book overall about loss and caring for others so deeply. Difficult to connect to the characters and parts, and pretty slow until the end.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Owen hubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content: clean

I hovered between 2 and 3 stars. It kept me interested because I wanted to know what happened to Riley, but at the same time, nothing really happened.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good portrail of the way a young man See's the world when he is given a multitude of challenges which test his emotions of love and hurt and pain. How he deals with them and forges ahead in life

[Afardiilfar · Rating 4 out of 5]

well a good book that make me wanna have a dog,sometimes you can feel animal were your real friend and nothing can hurt your feeling