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Summary
Summary
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.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Since her father left and her family was evicted from their apartment, Georgina Hayes, along with her mother and little brother, has been living in the family car. Georgina longs for space to herself, running water, unwrinkled clothes, and all of the simple things their apartment had provided. Most of all, she dreams of a home where she can invite friends over and feel like herself again. When Georgina spots a missing dog poster offering a five hundred dollar reward for the return of the pet, she hatches a plan that she believes will bring her family enough money to get back into an apartment. She decides that she'll steal a dog from a wealthy owner, wait until the reward posters go up, and then return the pooch for the reward. However, she doesn't count on the banging thump of her conscience, her love for the charming stolen dog, or her concern for the not-so-rich and lonely owner who is desperately worried about her missing pet. With all of its sweetness, this tale (Farrar, Straus, 2007) by Barbara O'Connor is surprisingly tense and never cloying. Listeners will be rooting for Georgina to do the right thing, for the little dog to be safe, and for the owner to be reunited with her pet. Suzy Jackson's narration is well-paced and she provides a unique voice for each of the characters. Georgina's personality particularly shines through, allowing listeners to hear the concern and doubt in her voice as she wades through some very difficult decisions. Those who enjoy cheering for the underdog will find plenty to relish here.-Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
O'Connor (Me and Rupert Goody) blends her usual poignancy and insight in another tale set in a small North Carolina town. "The day I decided to steal a dog was the same day my best friend, Luanne Godfrey, found out I lived in a car," begins plucky Georgina. After her father "just waltzed off and left us with nothing but three rolls of quarters and a mayonnaise jar full of wadded-up dollar bills," Georgina, her mother and younger brother, Toby, were evicted from their apartment. The three now sleep in their old Chevy. Since her mother works two jobs, saving up for a place to live, Georgina takes care of Toby after school, while carefree Luanne attends ballet class and Girl Scouts with her new best friend. A poster announcing a $500 reward for a missing dog gives the heroine an idea for helping to secure lodging. She diligently writes in her notebook rules for stealing a dog, but they turn out to be more complicated than she anticipates. The devastated woman whose pet Georgina purloins (and who is not wealthy enough to furnish a reward) and a wise and caring homeless man Georgina meets also affect her plan. Speaking with at times heartbreaking honesty, this likable young narrator convincingly articulates her frustration, resentment and confusion as she comes to her decisions. O'Connor once again smoothly balances challenging themes with her heroine's strength and sense of humor. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Narrator Georgina Hayes had a fairly normal life in Darby, North Carolina, before her father walked out on the family and her mother couldn't pay the rent. Now Georgina, her younger brother, and their mother sleep in their car, wash up in public restrooms, and struggle to cope with poverty and homelessness. O'Connor writes sensitively about an ordinary girl in unfortunate circumstances, one who's painfully aware of what she's lost and desperate for a return to normalcy. So desperate, in fact, she convinces herself that stealing a dog to collect reward money (she's inspired by a lost-dog sign offering five hundred dollars) is the answer to all their problems. Carmella Whitmore, who lives in a huge house on Whitmore Road, looks like somebody who could pay a big reward to get her dog back, but Georgina learns too late that she was wrong -- in more ways than one. Tension builds as Georgina's plan unravels and she wrestles with her conscience. The main characters are realistically drawn (except for a too-good-to-be-true drifter with a heart of gold); Georgina's prickly relationship with her weary mother is especially believable. O'Connor knows how to spin a touching story, and reading this novel is its own reward. Copryight 2007 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Georgina and younger brother Toby begin a homeless life living in Mom's car, having been evicted when Dad leaves. Mom tries her best to work two minimum-wage jobs in order to make the security deposit for a new apartment while the kids struggle daily to maintain normalcy in and out of school. Desperate to help Mom gain some significant cash, Georgina concocts a grand scheme to steal a dog, dupe the owner into offering a $500 reward and then return the designated pooch for the cash. As crazy as this sounds, O'Connor weaves a suspenseful and achingly realistic story, fleshing out characters that live and breathe anxiety, fortitude and a right vs. wrong consciousness. Colorful, supporting roles of a wise, kind vagrant and a lonely, overweight dog owner round out this story of childhood helplessness, ingenuity and desolation. Georgina's reflections in a secretly kept "how-to" journal will have kids anticipating her misconceptions about the realities of theft and deception. A powerful portrayal from an innocently youthful perspective. (Fiction. 10-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
One day Georgina has a home, a best friend, and plenty to eat. The next, she's living in a car with her mother and brother. Carrying on as usual isn't possible: washing up in a restaurant bathroom, doing homework by flashlight, losing her friend. Mom works two jobs, but it's not enough, so impatient Georgina decides to steal a dog, hoping to collect a reward. She picks her furry victim and makes careful plans--but she doesn't count on her conscience. In stripped-down, unsentimental prose, Georgina tells her own story, her words making clear her vulnerability and heartbreak as well as her determination and pride. It's puzzling why Mom doesn't seek outside help for her desperate family, and the appearance of wise Mookie, a sort of transient deus ex machina, verges on excess. Yet in the end, this is truly Georgina's story, and to O'Connor's great credit, it's Georgina herself who figures out what's right and does it. The myriad effects of homelessness and the realistic picture of a moral quandary will surely generate discussion. --Stephanie Zvirin Copyright 2007 Booklist