Summer of Riley

The Summer of Riley is a 2001 middle grade novel by Irish American author Eve Bunting. Bunting wrote more than 250 books over the course of her career, most of which were for younger audiences. The Summer of Riley won the Virginia Young Readers Award in 2004. It follows a young boy named William who gets a new dog called Riley. After Riley chases a horse, local law says he has to be euthanized. William does everything in his power to save his dog’s life. Along the way, he learns about seeing both sides of an argument and moving past challenging situations.

This guide uses the 2010 HarperCollins e-book edition of the novel.

Content Warning: This book deals with discussions of animal euthanasia.

Plot Summary

The Summer of Riley starts on the day when 11-year-old William Halston gets his new dog, a Labrador Retriever named Riley, from the local animal shelter. His best friend, Grace, and his mother, Dorothy, accompany him. It has been two months since William’s grandfather died, and William has struggled with his grief ever since. Getting Riley is the first thing that has made him feel better. William shows Riley around his new home, including the half-finished fishpond that he was building with his grandfather. William’s parents have been divorced for three years. He lives with his mother, and his father, Douglas, rarely calls or visits. William still hopes that his parents will get back together. When William’s father comes over to meet Riley, William overhears a conversation between his parents and learns that his father is now engaged to a woman named Phoebe; William has never even heard about her before.

William is friendly with his neighbor, the elderly Mrs. Peachwood, whom he calls Peachie; she has an old horse called the Sultan of Kaboor. At the end of July, after Peachie returns from a trip, William and Grace take Riley to Peachie’s house to introduce them. Abruptly, Riley runs away from William and chases Peachie’s horse, startling him. William eventually gets his dog under control, but the horse is injured. Peachie, furious, asks William and Riley to leave. Later that day, Riley escapes from a window and rushes toward the Sultan’s barn. Peachie manages to stop him before he gets to the horse. Soon after, Peachie lodges a complaint with animal control about Riley, and officers arrive to explain that according to local law, any dog that chases livestock must be euthanized. William is horrified, but he can do nothing as the officers take Riley away. 

William learns that he has just five days before Riley will be euthanized. He goes to Peachie’s house to beg her to rescind her complaint, but she refuses. She loves her horse and will not risk having Riley back in the neighborhood. William’s mother hires a lawyer to help them with Riley’s case. She also begins to develop a romantic relationship with a man called Stephen who works at the animal shelter where they originally got Riley. They work to appeal the decision to euthanize Riley and get 21 extra days to make their case. William agrees to focus on saving Riley’s life rather than having him live with them again. William and Grace print out leaflets and posters to give to neighbors. They start a petition and collect signatures. 

However, not everyone in the community supports them. Two school bullies, Ellis and Duane, tell William that they hope Riley dies. Ellis’s cat was killed by three unleashed dogs, so he feels that dogs are inherently dangerous and unpredictable. The whole town gets invested in the issue, with some supporting William and others supporting Peachie. 

Before the commissioners can reach a decision on Riley, Peachie leaves town, saying that many townspeople are harassing her about the case. William feels guilty but does not know how to repair the relationship. At the town’s summertime picnic, William walks by a parked car with a small, angry terrier inside. The dog barks at him, which William finds amusing. However, he notices Ellis nearby, cowering in fear. Ellis confesses that he is terrified of dogs since he was mauled by one when he was a toddler. He also reveals that when the dogs attacked his cat, he did not even try to save her because he was afraid. He says he still feels extremely guilty about this, and William tells him that he deserves to feel guilty.

The town commissioners call with their decision, revealing that Riley is going to be euthanized the next day. Though William is distraught, he continues looking online for any helpful resources and finds a man in Texas who trains dogs to chase birds away from airport runways. In a last-ditch effort, William calls the man and asks if he will take Riley. The man accepts, and William pays for Riley to travel, using his own savings. At the airport, William says a final goodbye to Riley. He is very sad to lose his friend, but he knows he did the right thing and succeeded in saving his life. At the end of summer, William also accepts that his parents’ marriage is over, and he sees that they are happy with their new partners. He agrees to fill in the half-finished fishpond, indicating that he has worked through his grief about his grandfather’s death.