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Maggie & Oliver or A Bone of One's Own
Maggie is always full of questions. But a young maid in a fine lady’s house isn’t supposed to wonder so much, so one day Maggie is thrown out into the street with only a tiny heart-shaped locket for a keepsake. Who is the lady in the locket?
A little dog named Oliver is pushing his nose along an icy sidewalk searching for his lost mistress, or at least something to eat. No matter how hard he looks he can’t find either one, but he does see a girl with round blue eyes and a golden locket. The girl calls him “Lucky.”
And perhaps Lucky is the right name after all, for the little dog soon helps Maggie find a warm, wonderful home of her own—and one for him, too.
208 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2011
4 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Hobbs
26 books47 followersValerie Hobbs is the author of many award winning novels for young adults including Sonnys War, Tender, and How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadnt Called You Back, for which she was designated a Flying Start author by Publishers Weekly in 1996. Hobbs was the winner of the 1999 PEN/Norma Klein award for an emerging voice of literary merit among American writers of childrens fiction and the Arizona Library Association Young Adult Author of the Year in 2003. Defiance, her most recent middle-grade novel, was given the 2006 most distinguished fiction award by the Childrens Literature Council of Southern California and has been nominated for twelve state awards. "
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 20, 2014
A little girl named, Maggie and a dog named Oliver find themselves both homeless and without food for different reasons. Maggie is carrying around a locket with a mystery face inside, while Oliver is carrying around the wonderful memories of his beloved owner Bertie, who passes early in the story. The picture in the locket brings a happy ending for both Maggie and Oliver, whom she renames, Lucky, but not before they go through cold, winter weather and some speed bumps along the way. A story of two survivors who build a life long friendship, that lands them inside a warm and loving home. A cute, easy read but one that finds me feeling it’s just “ok”.
April 24, 2016
This book is about a dog named Oliver and a girl named Maggie. They both live on the street for different reasons. The dog's owner died but the dog doesn't know that, and Maggie got kicked out of the house where she was a maid because she talked to the Duchess. Will they find a home in the end? Read it to find out! I liked it because I like books about girls and dogs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2017
A cute story that involves a girl and a dog. The ending was quick and predictable but my 3rd/4th graders would like it.
October 31, 2020
This book raised a lot of questions for me, which I shall send to Irene, along with the book.
1) The cover led me to think this was a - sweet book or perhaps a fairy tale. It's not.
What do you think of the cover?
2) The opening scene terrified me. Is that a good way to START a kid's book?
3) Is this book too - terrifying - for your younger sister? Here's a startling thought: this book is based on real life in Boston around the turn of the century in 1900. These things happened. Maggie and Oliver are make-believe but not the historical background.
4) What do you think of the ending?
5) Two things bothered me: If not for the little boy playing the trick of throwing the locket, the little girl would not have found her grandmother. And yet the boy just vanishes. And the question of why Maggie's mother didn't leave the baby at her grandmother's was not well answered, I think.
6) Name changes: interesting thought. What names did people/dogs start off with and what did they end with? It seems everyone changed their name!
I'm sending you these questions in a sealed envelope. Read the book and tell me what you think (your first impressions) and then open the envelope and read my questions, which are opinions in disguise.
1) The cover led me to think this was a - sweet book or perhaps a fairy tale. It's not.
What do you think of the cover?
2) The opening scene terrified me. Is that a good way to START a kid's book?
3) Is this book too - terrifying - for your younger sister? Here's a startling thought: this book is based on real life in Boston around the turn of the century in 1900. These things happened. Maggie and Oliver are make-believe but not the historical background.
4) What do you think of the ending?
5) Two things bothered me: If not for the little boy playing the trick of throwing the locket, the little girl would not have found her grandmother. And yet the boy just vanishes. And the question of why Maggie's mother didn't leave the baby at her grandmother's was not well answered, I think.
6) Name changes: interesting thought. What names did people/dogs start off with and what did they end with? It seems everyone changed their name!
I'm sending you these questions in a sealed envelope. Read the book and tell me what you think (your first impressions) and then open the envelope and read my questions, which are opinions in disguise.
January 3, 2021
Jordan Stygar
December Book Plug
8B
December 29th, 2020
The book Maggie & Oliver is fiction and it is written by the author Valerie Hobbs. Maggie & Oliver is about a dog named Oliver and a girl named Maggie. Oliver woke up one morning and his owner named Bertie was not waking up, so when one of Bertie's friends came to visit that day Oliver was barking very loud because something felt wrong. But it was too late because Bertie passed away. But Oliver didn't know that because he is just a dog so he went looking for Bertie because she was missing. And while Oliver was looking for her, and some food he could not find either of them but he did find a little girl named Maggie on the streets. Maggie named Oliver the name Lucky. And he was a pretty lucky dog because he helped Maggie find a new home but he also found himself a new home too. I would rate this book a 7 out of ten because I liked how Maggie and Oliver met up and became very good friends, but it was also very hard to understand what was happening at some points such as I the beginning.
I recommend the book, Maggie & Oliver, to someone who likes dogs or animals because Oliver is a dog and he is super friendly and caring.
December Book Plug
8B
December 29th, 2020
The book Maggie & Oliver is fiction and it is written by the author Valerie Hobbs. Maggie & Oliver is about a dog named Oliver and a girl named Maggie. Oliver woke up one morning and his owner named Bertie was not waking up, so when one of Bertie's friends came to visit that day Oliver was barking very loud because something felt wrong. But it was too late because Bertie passed away. But Oliver didn't know that because he is just a dog so he went looking for Bertie because she was missing. And while Oliver was looking for her, and some food he could not find either of them but he did find a little girl named Maggie on the streets. Maggie named Oliver the name Lucky. And he was a pretty lucky dog because he helped Maggie find a new home but he also found himself a new home too. I would rate this book a 7 out of ten because I liked how Maggie and Oliver met up and became very good friends, but it was also very hard to understand what was happening at some points such as I the beginning.
I recommend the book, Maggie & Oliver, to someone who likes dogs or animals because Oliver is a dog and he is super friendly and caring.
November 12, 2016
Such a cute book! Somewhat predictable plot, but it has cute twists to it. I love that half is written from Maggie's perspective and half is written from Oliver's perspective. It gives everything double meanings. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to share it with my neice!
October 29, 2017
When I first bought this book last year, I didn't think that I was possibly going to read the whole thing, as I did to some of the books I read. But instead, I found my self reading the whole thing, fascinated by the story and especially the way that the author wrote this book.
February 16, 2023
I read this in second grade (am a high school senior now) and it was one of my favorite books, sticks with me to this day. Beginning scene made me cry, and I had to read the ending over and over so many times just because it made me so happy lol. For a kids’ book I think this is just golden.
August 20, 2018
A good story. I love how they both are adventurous and both are kind of alike.
May 20, 2024
Good story to read.
December 23, 2016
A lovely and thoughtful little book
December 6, 2013
Maggie was a foundling, left on Madame's doorstep as a baby. Now, at age 11, conscripted as Madame's housemaid, Maggie lives with the constant threat of being put out on the streets if she does not do exactly what Madame says. But Maggie has a hard time following the rules, especially the one about staying silent, and when she speaks out at Madame's reception for the Duchess, Madame is angry and finally does what she has threatened -- she puts Maggie out on the streets of Boston, with nothing.
Oliver was a happy home dog. He had a warm bed, regular meals, and even squirrels to chase. His owner, Bertie, petted him and brushed him, until one day Bertie died, and they took her away in a wagon. Where did they take her? Oliver wondered. He set off down the cobblestone street to find Bertie and tell her to come home. But life on the street is hard for a homeless dog, and Oliver is hungry and worried.
This is the story of a homeless girl and a homeless dog in the early 1900s in Boston, and how they made their way together until they found a new home. A charming Oliver Twist story for ages 7-11. Younger kids would enjoy listening to the story.
Oliver was a happy home dog. He had a warm bed, regular meals, and even squirrels to chase. His owner, Bertie, petted him and brushed him, until one day Bertie died, and they took her away in a wagon. Where did they take her? Oliver wondered. He set off down the cobblestone street to find Bertie and tell her to come home. But life on the street is hard for a homeless dog, and Oliver is hungry and worried.
This is the story of a homeless girl and a homeless dog in the early 1900s in Boston, and how they made their way together until they found a new home. A charming Oliver Twist story for ages 7-11. Younger kids would enjoy listening to the story.
January 17, 2012
Oliver the dog finds himself homeless when his beloved Bertie dies and Maggie the orphan foundling finds herself on the street when she angers the mistress of the house in which she has been working.
"Pluck, gumption, and optimism stand them both in good stead as they cope with cold, hunger, and loneliness. Things look up when their stories intersect, and our inkling of a happy ending is joyfully fulfilled when Maggie discovers that she is the long-lost granddaughter of the wealthy duchess who has been peeking in from the edges of the story all along. This is Victoriana with no steampunk shenanigans and no tongues in cheeks, just well-orchestrated, straightforward storytelling for newish readers -- with a bonus of warm pencil drawings reminiscent of Lois Lenski." sarah ellis Horn Book 11/1/11
Good for a classroom read-aloud.
"Pluck, gumption, and optimism stand them both in good stead as they cope with cold, hunger, and loneliness. Things look up when their stories intersect, and our inkling of a happy ending is joyfully fulfilled when Maggie discovers that she is the long-lost granddaughter of the wealthy duchess who has been peeking in from the edges of the story all along. This is Victoriana with no steampunk shenanigans and no tongues in cheeks, just well-orchestrated, straightforward storytelling for newish readers -- with a bonus of warm pencil drawings reminiscent of Lois Lenski." sarah ellis Horn Book 11/1/11
Good for a classroom read-aloud.
April 26, 2012
Set in Boston at the turn of the century, Maggie and Oliver, gives readers a glance at what it might have been like to live as a child in poverty at that time. Readers learn of the time when school wasn't available to all and children were taken advantage of as cheap labor mills.
Oliver's owner has passed away and when her family comes to divide the property, he is left behind. Maggie, never having had a family, is let go from her maid position when she speaks out of turn - she asks entirely too many questions and that is not good if you are to be seen, but never heard. Both Oliver and Maggie find themselves on the streets of Boston at the end of winter - they both need food and shelter; they both need to find some way to ease the ache of the dark feeling of loneliness that has settled upon them.
They do, but not without many trials along the way.
Oliver's owner has passed away and when her family comes to divide the property, he is left behind. Maggie, never having had a family, is let go from her maid position when she speaks out of turn - she asks entirely too many questions and that is not good if you are to be seen, but never heard. Both Oliver and Maggie find themselves on the streets of Boston at the end of winter - they both need food and shelter; they both need to find some way to ease the ache of the dark feeling of loneliness that has settled upon them.
They do, but not without many trials along the way.
November 25, 2013
gr 4-6 181 pgs
1904. Boston, MA. 9 year old Maggie is an orphan working as a maid in Madame's house. Maggie is full of dreams and questions which are always getting her into trouble. When she sees the Duchess, Maggie just can't help complimenting her dress even though Madame has forbidden Maggie to speak. Forced to leave the only home she ever knows, Maggie goes in search of a place where she can belong. Along the way, she is joined by the dog Oliver who is also looking for a good home.
Provides some information about working conditions for children during this time period. The story has a somewhat Dickens feel to it (although not as dark) and everything turns out in the end.
1904. Boston, MA. 9 year old Maggie is an orphan working as a maid in Madame's house. Maggie is full of dreams and questions which are always getting her into trouble. When she sees the Duchess, Maggie just can't help complimenting her dress even though Madame has forbidden Maggie to speak. Forced to leave the only home she ever knows, Maggie goes in search of a place where she can belong. Along the way, she is joined by the dog Oliver who is also looking for a good home.
Provides some information about working conditions for children during this time period. The story has a somewhat Dickens feel to it (although not as dark) and everything turns out in the end.
November 3, 2012
When young Maggie angers her mistress, she finds herself on the street to fend for herself. She finds company in Oliver, a dog whose owner has died. Together they try to survive turn of the century Boston. Survival is not easy, but she meets a boy, Daniel, who offers her tips on not starving or freezing to death. For me the book was event driven, without a lot of background for the various episodes. Child labor, laws, labor laws in general, orphans, child abuse are touched upon, without being too graphic, but I think it might confuse some of the book's audience.
November 9, 2014
Pros:
Sweet
Good for kids who want to read a "rags to riches" orphan story
Plus, an animal main character!
I'd give it to third graders and up
Cons:
Predictable
I found the dog's thoughts to be not-always-believable
I probably wouldn't randomly recommend this title, but I would give it to those kids who want to read every orphan or dog book they can get their hands on. It was fine, just not a personal favorite.
Sweet
Good for kids who want to read a "rags to riches" orphan story
Plus, an animal main character!
I'd give it to third graders and up
Cons:
Predictable
I found the dog's thoughts to be not-always-believable
I probably wouldn't randomly recommend this title, but I would give it to those kids who want to read every orphan or dog book they can get their hands on. It was fine, just not a personal favorite.
December 25, 2011
Rather predictable (and unlikely, but humanized dogs are already outside the realm of realism) story. The portrayal of Daniel, however, is more astute than would be expected in this kind of story--I would have liked to know what happened to him after Maggie's fairy tale comes true...Children will probably enjoy the child-dog friendship and happy resolution.
March 19, 2012
I really cared about the characters. It reminded me of Oliver, but how many children know that story. It may be unique and different for them. My only concern is how fast this got wrapped up with a very convenient pairing with her grandmother in the end. It wrapped up so fast, I was left wondering what became of her "friend" Daniel.
February 21, 2012
A gentle story about an orphaned girl and an orphaned dog who find each other and a home in early 1900's Boston. Although they have sorrows and a few scrapes along the way, the ending is miraculously happy. Rather predictable but a sweet story for younger readers.
February 25, 2012
This was a very sweet story about a girl and a dog who both go through some rough times, but end up finding each other, and finding a family. I read this with my daughter, who is 5, and we both really enjoyed it!
May 18, 2012
Very reminiscent of Frances Hodgson Burnett's "Little Princess", where a poor, friendless, put-upon little girl suffers through her oppresion to become unimaginably rich. This adds in, however, the parallel story of a poor dog.
February 26, 2013
3.5
I'd recommend for ages 8-10, or even younger as a read-aloud or for an advanced reader.
No, it's not the most realistic story in the world, but it's cute, and I really liked the historical aspect. And it's set in Boston. So whatevs.
I'd recommend for ages 8-10, or even younger as a read-aloud or for an advanced reader.
No, it's not the most realistic story in the world, but it's cute, and I really liked the historical aspect. And it's set in Boston. So whatevs.
April 1, 2013
This was a good story about a little girl who was a servant, but who was dismissed and sent out to live in the street. It is also the story of a dog who's owner died. The dog met the little girl and through their adventures they were both able to find a home.
January 13, 2016
Fantastic little book. You keep waiting for the 'and' of the title. It comes together nicely. Although we love pat endings, it's appropriate that the mean boy doesn't suddenly get all things given to him. Might make for a nice follow-up...how to reform someone who's been given a bad lot in life.
May 12, 2016
I liked this book because it was very sad. Both characters were very poor and then they met each other and found each other shelter,and food. At the end they ended up living together because of there relationship.
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November 22, 2011Lovely story, with the feel of a classic – especially with Jennifer Thermes's soft, old-fashionned illustrations.
December 27, 2011
Sweet, predictable story about an orphaned girl and an orphaned dog who find each other and a home to share in early twentieth-century Boston.
December 10, 2013
Loved how this book told two stories, Maggie's and Oliver's, and connected them at the end! I am so glad one of my students recommended it to me!
August 14, 2016
Sweet story--the dog lives. Whew.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews