How to Steal a Dog

By Barbara O'Connor

Book Overview

From the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Wish
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Parents' Choice Award Winner
This heartwarming and witty novel is perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Kate DiCamillo.

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.

Don't miss Barbara O'Connor's other middle-grade work:
Wish
Wonderland
Greetings from Nowhere
Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester
Halfway to Harmony
and Dream, the standalone companion to Wish, coming to bookstores on 8/26/25

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312561121
• ISBN13: 9780312561123
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Family situation unrealistic.

The characters start out in a living situation that is unlikely. Every state has a program to financially assist families with dependent children with housing, food and living expenses.

How to Steal a Dog book

This is an excellent book for school age children to read. It has alot of good life lessons in the book.

Full of heart

I really liked this one. Georgina is desperate; it seems like her overwhelmed mother will never keep her promises to her children, after their father leaves and they are forced to live in their car. Georgina is tired of sleeping in the car, never having her homework, fearing that her classmates will find out. So she naively hatches her plan--steal a dog, then claim the reward. She is too young and hopeful to imagine what could go wrong, but it all does. And she struggles with guilt--for lying, for hurting those she starts to care about: the dog Willie and Carmella, his owner. As she struggles with the problems she has created, and talks with a homeless man who tries to help her, with his help she sees that "Sometimes the trail you leave behind is more important then the path ahead of you." Yes, there are troubling moral issues here, but that's an opportunity to discuss: is it wrong to act badly under bad circumstances? What else could she have done? What would you have done in her place? As a librarian and a mom, I can see a lot of potential for considering people less fortunate than most of us, and for talking about choices and consequences. I plan to read this one to my three kids, ages 8-12.

Best Book Ever

By MJ (9) How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O'Connor This book is about a girl named Georgina and her little brother Toby. They live in a car and their mother has to work two jobs to get money for food. Georgina gets sick of it and she decides to steal a dog when she sees an old reward sign for a lost dog. It says "Lost dog REWARD: $500".This gives Georgina an idea. If she steals a dog, the owner will put signs up. Then she takes the dog back, she gets the money, and her family can buy a house or an apartment. Georgina knows it's not the right thing to do. Will it work? I really enjoyed this book. What else can I say? I loved How to Steal a dog! It's a story that is unforgettable. It's like a roller coater you've never been on yet. You don't know what will happen next! I must admit, Barbara O'Connor`s work is pretty good! Something at the end of the book made me so happy! You wanna know what it is? Well, I it's for me to know and you to find out! Get How to Steal a Dog today! Seriously!

Found Cute Smart Little 'not-so-lost' Dog and One Very Wise homeless Guardian Angel?

I read this book to my daughters, ages 8 and 6. Wow! We couldn't put it down. Life in a car makes for desperate times. My daughters were shocked to learn how hard Georgina's life is and that she could be a real girl somewhere in the US. We found ourselves thinking of her in between our readings, wondering how she was coping and what would be her next move in her hairy plan to solve her family's terrible dilemma. I anticipate that my daughters will read this book again on their own in the future and I am certain it will bring tears and smiles in the end just as it did the first time.

A fine new book

"How to Steal a Dog" is a powerful novel that takes a clear look at a number of issues, both societal and moral. What do you do when circumstances force you to live in a car? What responsibilities does a young person take on in such a circumstance? How does she deal with friends--old ones who suddenly look down on her, or new ones that befriend her? I believed the narrative voice one hundred percent, and the characters all come alive on the page. A wonderful read!