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How to Steal a Dog
"Half of me was thinking," Georgina, don't do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong. "The other half of me was thinking," Georgina, you're in a bad fix and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it.
Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing-dog poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All she has to do is "borrow" the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What happens next is the last thing she expected.
With unmistakable sympathy, Barbara O'Connor tells the story of a young girl struggling to see what's right when everything else seems wrong.
"How to Steal a Dog" is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing-dog poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All she has to do is "borrow" the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What happens next is the last thing she expected.
With unmistakable sympathy, Barbara O'Connor tells the story of a young girl struggling to see what's right when everything else seems wrong.
"How to Steal a Dog" is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
170 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
875 people are currently reading
5191 people want to read
About the author
Barbara O'Connor
49 books648 followersBarbara O'Connor's awards include the Parents Choice Gold and Silver Award, American Library Association Notable Books, IRA Notable Books for a Global Society, School Library Journal Best Books, and Kirkus Best Books. Her books have been nominated for children's choice awards in 38 states and voted as a state favorite by children in South Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, and South Dakota.
Barbara was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She draws on her Southern roots to write award-winning books for children in grades 3 to 6.
She currently lives in Asheville, NC. Her latest book is Wish, a middle grade novel published by FSG.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/barbar...
Barbara was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She draws on her Southern roots to write award-winning books for children in grades 3 to 6.
She currently lives in Asheville, NC. Her latest book is Wish, a middle grade novel published by FSG.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/barbar...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,533 reviews
August 17, 2018
I would have cried a little, had I not been listening to this at work :)
Georgina and her family are recently homeless and living out of their car. Georgina is ashamed to live this way and lashes out toward her mother, who she blames, even though her mother is working multiple jobs and trying her best. The father is gone, and left them with nothing. Georgina has a younger brother named Toby.
Georgina finds an a missing dog poster with a reward of 500 dollars. She gets the idea to steal someone's dog in order to obtain reward money. Georgina wants the money so that her family can afford an apartment. Her and Toby find a dog to steal, figuring that the owner was wealthy and would give a large reward sum.
Of course, nothing really goes as planned. The story explores right vs wrong, our assumptions and our implicit biases. for example, the children meet someone named Mookie, who is also homeless, and challenges their assumptions about "bums".
How Georgina deals with the aftermath of stealing a dog is a great lesson for young people.
Georgina and her family are recently homeless and living out of their car. Georgina is ashamed to live this way and lashes out toward her mother, who she blames, even though her mother is working multiple jobs and trying her best. The father is gone, and left them with nothing. Georgina has a younger brother named Toby.
Georgina finds an a missing dog poster with a reward of 500 dollars. She gets the idea to steal someone's dog in order to obtain reward money. Georgina wants the money so that her family can afford an apartment. Her and Toby find a dog to steal, figuring that the owner was wealthy and would give a large reward sum.
Of course, nothing really goes as planned. The story explores right vs wrong, our assumptions and our implicit biases. for example, the children meet someone named Mookie, who is also homeless, and challenges their assumptions about "bums".
How Georgina deals with the aftermath of stealing a dog is a great lesson for young people.
July 24, 2008
Wow! This is a touching story that shined some light for me into the life of homelessness from a child's perpesctive. The main character, Georgina, deals with some tough times while living out of a car with her mother and younger brother. It is a real eye opener; reminding me not to take things for granted.
This is a must read for anyone who works with children, especially in a title I school setting. We may never know what our students are really going through outside of school.
2008-2009 Bluebonnet List
This is a must read for anyone who works with children, especially in a title I school setting. We may never know what our students are really going through outside of school.
2008-2009 Bluebonnet List
June 20, 2024
This is an adorable children's/middle-grade book about a girl who finds her family in a bind when they lose their house and live out of a car.
Her inspiration to help get money to help her mom get them back into living in a home instead of the car comes from a lost dog poster offering a reward, so the plan begins.
4 Stars
Her inspiration to help get money to help her mom get them back into living in a home instead of the car comes from a lost dog poster offering a reward, so the plan begins.
4 Stars
August 9, 2014
This was a very good book, some excellent topics for discussion with my 4th grade emotional support students. It was a little difficult in the middle because it was very uncomfortable as the main character was making some very bad choices but I was pleased with where the story ended. This book had a very real portrayal of homelessness and poverty from the perspective of a child. The emotions were well described and the story was realistic. I enjoy using literature that explores social issues and this one explored many issues very completely! Well done, Ms. O'Connor, thank you for this story!
UPDATE: Finished the book today, we had 3 chapters left and it was our very last day of school. We had taken turns reading the whole book out loud but I finished up reading the final chapters to the group. There was a whole lot of emotion in those last chapters and a whole lot of wonderful discussion points, they loved it and enjoyed every literary nuance. It was very moving and so exciting and when I read the final words, they all applauded! What an amazing reaction! I thank you again, Ms. O'Connor, I believe my students learned some amazing pearls of wisdom from this book and will remember the lessons taught by Mookie and Georgina for the rest of their lives!
Addition.....the power of literature....today one of my students quoted this book, during a discussion about our past mistakes and our future choices she said, "Remember that book we read last year, this is kind of like that line when they said 'the trail you leave behind is not as important as the path ahead of you' " WOW....literature that MAKES A DIFFERENCE! Thank you Barbara OConnor, this troubled young lady has been changed by your words!
UPDATE: Finished the book today, we had 3 chapters left and it was our very last day of school. We had taken turns reading the whole book out loud but I finished up reading the final chapters to the group. There was a whole lot of emotion in those last chapters and a whole lot of wonderful discussion points, they loved it and enjoyed every literary nuance. It was very moving and so exciting and when I read the final words, they all applauded! What an amazing reaction! I thank you again, Ms. O'Connor, I believe my students learned some amazing pearls of wisdom from this book and will remember the lessons taught by Mookie and Georgina for the rest of their lives!
Addition.....the power of literature....today one of my students quoted this book, during a discussion about our past mistakes and our future choices she said, "Remember that book we read last year, this is kind of like that line when they said 'the trail you leave behind is not as important as the path ahead of you' " WOW....literature that MAKES A DIFFERENCE! Thank you Barbara OConnor, this troubled young lady has been changed by your words!
December 9, 2022
Perfect Story
What a sweet story of a family who became homeless. Once the mother could save enough money they could find a home. The dad had taken off years earlier. Living in a car had its challenges. How could the kids help earn money? Steal a dog for reward money? That was Georgina’s plan. (Nice moral to this story.)
What a sweet story of a family who became homeless. Once the mother could save enough money they could find a home. The dad had taken off years earlier. Living in a car had its challenges. How could the kids help earn money? Steal a dog for reward money? That was Georgina’s plan. (Nice moral to this story.)
January 28, 2022
Very good book, triggers many emotions and it is entertaining.
April 7, 2020
Did as a read aloud with my class. There are just other books that I like more that do not flat out state the theme or message of the story.
June 9, 2020
This book is so sweet, and it has a purpose in this book world!
Georgina Hayes lives in her car with her brother Toby and her mother. She used to live in an apartment, but then her father left them with almost no money. One day, Georgina sees a sign that gives her hope. She starts to make plans to steal a dog. The more you stir, the more it stinks. This is what the siblings learn as they make plans and try to fulfill them. Stealing a dog is much harder than they expected, and then they meet the owner who ask for help. In the end, Georgina may have to decide to help herself and her family, or make someone who needs it happy.
It's a really sweet book that I enjoyed to read with my cat snuggled up beside me.
Georgina Hayes lives in her car with her brother Toby and her mother. She used to live in an apartment, but then her father left them with almost no money. One day, Georgina sees a sign that gives her hope. She starts to make plans to steal a dog. The more you stir, the more it stinks. This is what the siblings learn as they make plans and try to fulfill them. Stealing a dog is much harder than they expected, and then they meet the owner who ask for help. In the end, Georgina may have to decide to help herself and her family, or make someone who needs it happy.
It's a really sweet book that I enjoyed to read with my cat snuggled up beside me.
December 20, 2021
This is a middle grade book that I read with my daughter as a family reading school thing. I have to say I really enjoyed this book because it shows kids not everyone has a house and toys and things like that. My kids are very lucky that they get most things they want and everything they need, so this book help me tell my daughter that it is sad that some kids do not have it like her. I really loved the characters in this book, and I just wanted to help these kids so much. I can understand what the kids in this book was trying to do even if they should not have done it. I do not know if my daughter would have pick this book on her own, but she mostly reads science fiction.
January 21, 2019
This book is great. It is a heavy read though. If your needing to steal a dog... this book may be for you.
September 25, 2023
This is a tough book, which is one of the reasons why I think it is a great book. The story is of a girl named Georgina, and her younger brother Toby, who now must live in their car with their Mama after their father left them. The answer the girl comes up with is to steal a dog to get money for her family to have enough to get a new place to live.
Tough subjects like this are great sources of conversation on morality. With all the videos you see of people stealing from stores in California, morality is an important topic to help kids grow up right. I was blessed to grow up in a good family, and yet I did some theft as a young teenager, so I understand how easy it is to make wrong choices, and that is without the motivation that would come from poverty.
Loved the way Georgina plans things by writing in her spiral notebook with the glittery purple cover with ‘How to Steal a Dog by Georgina Hayes.’ Someone needs to encourage that girl in her planning abilities but with a better goal. Under the rules for Step 1 Find a Dog, she writes:
‘These are the rules for finding a dog:
1. The dog must not bark too much.
2. The dog must not bite.
3. The dog must be outside by itself sometimes.
4. The dog must be loved a lot and not just some old dog that nobody cares about.
5. The owner of the dog must look like somebody who will pay a lot of money to get their dog back, like maybe someone who has a big house and rides in a limo or something like that.
When she’s reading over her list of rules -
‘…I felt myself splitting right in two. Half of me was thinking, Georgina, don’t do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong.
The other half of me was thinking, Georgina, you’re in a bad fix, and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it.’
The planning like that with different steps and details she adds to her notebook are great. For a minute or two however I was thinking it might teach a kid to be more careful when they wanted to do a bad thing, but with the ending hopefully they will just use any lessons about planning to be applied to good ends. Here are the details for the next step:
‘Step 2: When you find the dog you want to steal, keep an eye on it for a while. Here are the rules to remember:
1. Make sure the dog really doesn’t bark or bite.
2. If there is a fence, see if the gate is locked.
3. Decide whether or not you can pick the dog up or maybe you have to have a leash or a rope.
4. Check to see if there are any nosy people living next door or across the street.’
A few more of the steps are: Step 3 is ‘Get ready to steal the dog.’ Then later added to step 3 ‘Figure out where you are going to hide the dog.’ Step 4 is ‘Use this list to make sure you are ready to steal the dog.’
Along the path of the story she meets someone who shares his motto:
“Sometimes the trail you leave behind you is more important than the path ahead of you.”
And he gives her some good advice a little later:
“Sometimes,” he said, “the more you stir it, the worse it stinks.”
You probably can somewhat guess the ending. In the book they make it easier to see the ramifications of hurting an individual. Making the right decisions to not hurt a business (their owner, their employees, their customers) would be harder to see and feel, but also important, so maybe could also be discussed after reading this book with a child.
As I said at the start, it is a tough book, in that I felt anxious reading about Georgina and the plight her and her family were in, but I thought a lot of good conversation could come of it and I liked the way it was written. For that reason, I give it 5 stars. As far as it being a dog book, the dog is not so much the focus, and stealing a dog is pretty scary, so I would give it a star less in terms of being a ‘dog’ book. Overall, I would recommend the book. Looking forward to another book by Barbara O'Conner, and I already have the book.
Tough subjects like this are great sources of conversation on morality. With all the videos you see of people stealing from stores in California, morality is an important topic to help kids grow up right. I was blessed to grow up in a good family, and yet I did some theft as a young teenager, so I understand how easy it is to make wrong choices, and that is without the motivation that would come from poverty.
Loved the way Georgina plans things by writing in her spiral notebook with the glittery purple cover with ‘How to Steal a Dog by Georgina Hayes.’ Someone needs to encourage that girl in her planning abilities but with a better goal. Under the rules for Step 1 Find a Dog, she writes:
‘These are the rules for finding a dog:
1. The dog must not bark too much.
2. The dog must not bite.
3. The dog must be outside by itself sometimes.
4. The dog must be loved a lot and not just some old dog that nobody cares about.
5. The owner of the dog must look like somebody who will pay a lot of money to get their dog back, like maybe someone who has a big house and rides in a limo or something like that.
When she’s reading over her list of rules -
‘…I felt myself splitting right in two. Half of me was thinking, Georgina, don’t do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong.
The other half of me was thinking, Georgina, you’re in a bad fix, and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it.’
The planning like that with different steps and details she adds to her notebook are great. For a minute or two however I was thinking it might teach a kid to be more careful when they wanted to do a bad thing, but with the ending hopefully they will just use any lessons about planning to be applied to good ends. Here are the details for the next step:
‘Step 2: When you find the dog you want to steal, keep an eye on it for a while. Here are the rules to remember:
1. Make sure the dog really doesn’t bark or bite.
2. If there is a fence, see if the gate is locked.
3. Decide whether or not you can pick the dog up or maybe you have to have a leash or a rope.
4. Check to see if there are any nosy people living next door or across the street.’
A few more of the steps are: Step 3 is ‘Get ready to steal the dog.’ Then later added to step 3 ‘Figure out where you are going to hide the dog.’ Step 4 is ‘Use this list to make sure you are ready to steal the dog.’
Along the path of the story she meets someone who shares his motto:
“Sometimes the trail you leave behind you is more important than the path ahead of you.”
And he gives her some good advice a little later:
“Sometimes,” he said, “the more you stir it, the worse it stinks.”
You probably can somewhat guess the ending. In the book they make it easier to see the ramifications of hurting an individual. Making the right decisions to not hurt a business (their owner, their employees, their customers) would be harder to see and feel, but also important, so maybe could also be discussed after reading this book with a child.
As I said at the start, it is a tough book, in that I felt anxious reading about Georgina and the plight her and her family were in, but I thought a lot of good conversation could come of it and I liked the way it was written. For that reason, I give it 5 stars. As far as it being a dog book, the dog is not so much the focus, and stealing a dog is pretty scary, so I would give it a star less in terms of being a ‘dog’ book. Overall, I would recommend the book. Looking forward to another book by Barbara O'Conner, and I already have the book.
February 24, 2012
What a great story for fostering empathy! I applaud Emma's 4th-grade teacher for choosing this book for their latest lit circle selection.
Here are my favorite quotes from the story:
"Where do you live?" I said. ...
He opened his arms wide and said, "Out here. Outside."
"Outside?"
Mookie nodded. "Yep."
"How come?"
"'Cause I don't have to paint the air or tar-paper the sky or mop the ground. All I got to do is breathe." (p. 111)
"Smart ain't got a thing to do with school," he said. "I never went past sixth grade, myself." he ate the soggy bread, then added, "And I'm pretty smart."
He licked his fingers. "Besides," he said, "if you ask me, school's about as useful as a trapdoor on a canoe."
"You can't get a job if you don't go to school," I said.
"Says who?"
"Says everybody."
"I work every day of my life," he said.
"Where?"
"Everywhere."
"Like where?" I said.
"Everywhere," he repeated. ...
"Then how come you live like a bum?" I said. I felt my face burn. I shouldn't have said that.
But Mookie just laughed. "I said I worked. I didn't say I got paid."
"You work for free?"
"Sometimes." ...
"But why would you do that stuff for free?"
"'Cause sometimes people need stuff done more than I need money," he said. ... "Besides," he said, "I got a motto. You wanna hear it?"
I shrugged.
"Sometimes the trail you leave behind you is more important than the path ahead of you." (p. 131-132)
Here are my favorite quotes from the story:
"Where do you live?" I said. ...
He opened his arms wide and said, "Out here. Outside."
"Outside?"
Mookie nodded. "Yep."
"How come?"
"'Cause I don't have to paint the air or tar-paper the sky or mop the ground. All I got to do is breathe." (p. 111)
"Smart ain't got a thing to do with school," he said. "I never went past sixth grade, myself." he ate the soggy bread, then added, "And I'm pretty smart."
He licked his fingers. "Besides," he said, "if you ask me, school's about as useful as a trapdoor on a canoe."
"You can't get a job if you don't go to school," I said.
"Says who?"
"Says everybody."
"I work every day of my life," he said.
"Where?"
"Everywhere."
"Like where?" I said.
"Everywhere," he repeated. ...
"Then how come you live like a bum?" I said. I felt my face burn. I shouldn't have said that.
But Mookie just laughed. "I said I worked. I didn't say I got paid."
"You work for free?"
"Sometimes." ...
"But why would you do that stuff for free?"
"'Cause sometimes people need stuff done more than I need money," he said. ... "Besides," he said, "I got a motto. You wanna hear it?"
I shrugged.
"Sometimes the trail you leave behind you is more important than the path ahead of you." (p. 131-132)
June 12, 2012
How to Steal a Dog is about a young girl who is homeless and lives out of a car after her dead-beat dad leaves the family. She tries to keep up pretenses that her family is still intact and doing great, but her unkempt appearance from washing in public restrooms is causing suspicions. She hatches a plan to steal a beloved pet from a house where the mailbox name matches the name of the whole street - evidently a family of means. Each day, she teaches her little brother the on-going plan of kidnapping a dog and collecting a reward for it. This reward will surely pay the deposit for a home, she figures.
A stranger tries to guide her with a different way of thinking, but she persists. Her plan meets with unexpected results.
The lesson here is very muddied. Is it ok to steal if you are poor? Disrepectful attitudes, manipulation, coarse treatment of younger siblings, and other such vices are not sufficiently dealt with. Does she learn a lesson or just fail to get her way?
A stranger tries to guide her with a different way of thinking, but she persists. Her plan meets with unexpected results.
The lesson here is very muddied. Is it ok to steal if you are poor? Disrepectful attitudes, manipulation, coarse treatment of younger siblings, and other such vices are not sufficiently dealt with. Does she learn a lesson or just fail to get her way?
July 21, 2021
Why did I pick this up? I don't even know. It sounded like a cute middle-grade to read before bed. But honestly? This was even younger than middle-grade. So that was mistake #1.
Mistake #2 was continuing to read the book when it made me feel miserable. The whole story was so hopeless and sad. I legitimately kept hoping it would get somewhat happier, or the main character's situation would start looking up. It never did. And I don't feel like there was much to be learned from the conclusion....? There was some good insight from one of the characters, and some of his quotes made me feel happy inside, but that was not enough to salvage the story for me.
This just wasn't it for me. Maybe it's good for kiddos that can find the humor in stealing a dog for ransom money, though...?
Mistake #2 was continuing to read the book when it made me feel miserable. The whole story was so hopeless and sad. I legitimately kept hoping it would get somewhat happier, or the main character's situation would start looking up. It never did. And I don't feel like there was much to be learned from the conclusion....? There was some good insight from one of the characters, and some of his quotes made me feel happy inside, but that was not enough to salvage the story for me.
This just wasn't it for me. Maybe it's good for kiddos that can find the humor in stealing a dog for ransom money, though...?
November 5, 2023
I first read this when it came out and recently re-read it after trying to read The Benefits of Being an Octopus and getting bored. This book also follows an impoverished narrator and is targeted towards younger readers. I found it much more enjoyable and interesting to read.
This is probably 3 stars for me now but when I first read it I loved it and would have probably given it a 5. I'd recommend it to young readers. It reminds me of Huck Finn in that the protagonist meets several varying charaters. There were some parts that I didn't like that much, but I think the book was written well and the narrator was believable as a young person.
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June 15, 2017It was a good book because at the end the poor family lives with his mom co-worker.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2022
A good, easy to read book! I’ve been reading a lot of Barbara O’Conor’s books and Al thought they all have different plots, there is always a theme of a broken family which gets repetitive but they are all still good books
Read
January 21, 2022I loved this book would really recommend this book it teaches a really good lesson
June 18, 2009
This book goes against everything I believe in...Not sure why I got it to read...
These kids (& mom) are homeless...the main character, a girl, is a complete brat and at one point even blames her mom for being a bad mother since they are homeless (dad took the money & left...yet it was mom's fault)...
She decides to steal a dog in order to get reward $$ and is befriended by the woman whose dog she stole...I admit...I skimmed it after that...it just went against my entire belief system...
The end came out OK...she returned the dog (not sure if she got any money...skimmed that part) and told the woman that it was her that took the dog..
Don't recommend it even though it came out OK...
These kids (& mom) are homeless...the main character, a girl, is a complete brat and at one point even blames her mom for being a bad mother since they are homeless (dad took the money & left...yet it was mom's fault)...
She decides to steal a dog in order to get reward $$ and is befriended by the woman whose dog she stole...I admit...I skimmed it after that...it just went against my entire belief system...
The end came out OK...she returned the dog (not sure if she got any money...skimmed that part) and told the woman that it was her that took the dog..
Don't recommend it even though it came out OK...
January 13, 2009
A Kearns library mother/daughter book club selection . . . read it in a day . . . a good, fun, enlightening read! Recommended for old and young alike!
Read
January 20, 2022Its a very good novel u should read it I don't like novelsthat much and I liked it
February 17, 2022
My actual rating is about 3.50.
While I liked the book I personally felt the main character was a bit annoying, but other than that it was a pretty good book
While I liked the book I personally felt the main character was a bit annoying, but other than that it was a pretty good book
May 16, 2020
is a middle school book about a family in crisis. Georgina's father has left the family without ... ANYTHING. The family, Mom, Georgina, and brother Toby become homeless and Mom is working to fix it. Georgina blames Mom and wallows in pity (she has a right to of course) believing that her mom should fix it, despite Mom trying. When you stop to think about how easy it would be to become homeless and broke, it is pretty frightening. How we all might have too much.... makes you stop and think. Adults and children alike should remember that 'oh but for the Grace of God goes them and not me'. There is always the child that lives in less fortunate circumstances and people act like this is intentionally done. Georgina's answer is to dognap a dog and wait for the reward to be offered... Not a good plan but Georgina has to learn this for herself.
Definitely a 4 star read for readers of all ages..
Happy Reading!
February 21, 2019
Aw. Dear. That was a lot.
April 6, 2020
i really loved it . u should read it.
November 3, 2016
Georgina Hayes is a young girl whose father has just abandoned the family, leaving them to live in a car while her mother juggles two jobs and tries to get the family back on their feet. She concocts a plan to steal a dog in the hopes of returning it for a handsome reward. Unfortunately, Georgina quickly discovers that there are more potential complications to her plan than she and her third-grade brother and partner in crime can anticipate.
The story is told from Georgina’s perspective and often uses a very conversational tone. O’Connor also employs a parallel structure where Georgina keeps a notebook detailing the instructions of “How to Steal a Dog.” The story is set in modern-day North Carolina in the small, rural town of Darby. O’Connor uses a lot of southern colloquialisms and grammar that is not necessarily in keeping with Standard Written English, but the setting does not keep the story or characters from being relatable, and may actually be compelling for children who are southern or from small towns.
Georgina is the character that is fully developed in this short novel. We see some complexity in her mother who struggles to be there for her children as a mother while she is juggling low-paying jobs, trying to find a home for her family, and dealing with the absence of her husband. However, we don’t get to know her very well. Georgina is a complex character, though, particularly for a short, young-adult novel. She is generally well-meaning and realizes that what she is planning to do is not right. She tries to justify the plot as what is necessary to help her family get back into a home. She comes to care about the dog and its owner but is unsure how to undo the damage she has done. She may be a difficult character for some readers to relate to, but if they are able to stick with it—and the novel is relatively short and easy to read—they will see that she is forced into a desperate situation from terrible but real circumstances but still has a sense of right and wrong. The resolution to her family’s story is nice but not overly tidy or unrealistic. The main plot may be slightly implausible, but it’s not hard to imagine a homeless girl trying to concoct a plan to save her family. There is definitely a clear message about listening to one’s conscience and remaining strong during trying times, but O’Connor avoids being overly preachy.
The story is told from Georgina’s perspective and often uses a very conversational tone. O’Connor also employs a parallel structure where Georgina keeps a notebook detailing the instructions of “How to Steal a Dog.” The story is set in modern-day North Carolina in the small, rural town of Darby. O’Connor uses a lot of southern colloquialisms and grammar that is not necessarily in keeping with Standard Written English, but the setting does not keep the story or characters from being relatable, and may actually be compelling for children who are southern or from small towns.
Georgina is the character that is fully developed in this short novel. We see some complexity in her mother who struggles to be there for her children as a mother while she is juggling low-paying jobs, trying to find a home for her family, and dealing with the absence of her husband. However, we don’t get to know her very well. Georgina is a complex character, though, particularly for a short, young-adult novel. She is generally well-meaning and realizes that what she is planning to do is not right. She tries to justify the plot as what is necessary to help her family get back into a home. She comes to care about the dog and its owner but is unsure how to undo the damage she has done. She may be a difficult character for some readers to relate to, but if they are able to stick with it—and the novel is relatively short and easy to read—they will see that she is forced into a desperate situation from terrible but real circumstances but still has a sense of right and wrong. The resolution to her family’s story is nice but not overly tidy or unrealistic. The main plot may be slightly implausible, but it’s not hard to imagine a homeless girl trying to concoct a plan to save her family. There is definitely a clear message about listening to one’s conscience and remaining strong during trying times, but O’Connor avoids being overly preachy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2015
I found this book to be very interesting and eye opening about homelessness and theft. While Georgina has the best intentions when she decides to steal a dog she learns that her actions affected others. This book is one I would use to show students that it is not okay to steal things and that regardless of your life situations there is always a positive if you look hard enough. Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed was how the author had characters in the book that helped Georgina come to the conclusion that she needed to return the dog without getting the reward money on her own. I also liked how the book provides a new perspective on someone who is homeless; some people might think that those who are homeless are lazy or jobless however this story shows that may not always be the case. I can see myself using this in my own classroom for sure.
February 9, 2017
I think this book was good because I like dogs, and this book was very adventure -like and suprising. This book was about a girl named Georgina that lived in a car with her mom, and brother. Their dad left them and too all their money so now they live in a car. When the mom finally makes enough money to buy a house they get this really haunted looking house because that is all they can afford. Once they start to get settled in dog starts to run down the street and Georgina steels it. She hid the dog in a place where nobody can find it. One day Georgina meets a old lady who says she is missing her dog, and it is the one Georgina stole. They lady said if anyone can find it, they will get 200 dollars. So Georgina brought the dog back to the lady and told the lady what she did, and didn't want to take the money because she knew she did something wrong.
April 26, 2017
I got close to marking this novella as DNF, and moving on, but I preserved. I found the main character to be far too stuck-up for my liking, and her constant whining was rather irritating. The story developed quickly, and I'm glad at least that I didn't guess the big reveal at the end of the book.
March 23, 2022
This is a very unique story. My kids ages 10-16 all enjoyed it - so did I!
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