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How to Steal a Dog

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 3,447 ratings · 558 reviews

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 jugglin...more

Hardcover, 170 pages

Published March 20th 2007 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

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Nov 25, 2011 Lyn (The Heartless) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, youth-lit

This book was for a school assignment. And if had not been for that, I would not have finished this book.

I will say that even though the story was touching, I believe that the protagonist and I have a personality conflict. How can Georgina make everyone around her feel so rotten, then expect everyone to make her feel better? I know she is going through so much in her life, but she is very judgmental, harsh and overall not the least bit likeable. Even the conclusion showed very little in her pers...more

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Jan 13, 2009 Jillybean rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Kearns library mother/daughter book club selection . . . read it in a day . . . a good, fun, enlightening read! Recommended for old and young alike!

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Jan 27, 2013 ANONYMOUS C rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

i like dis book, its a good book

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Jul 24, 2008 A. Riley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: tweens, primary-grades

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 Blueb...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Makenziecr rated it 3 of 5 stars

Georgina has a hard life. Her dad left her mom, little brother Toby, and her. She has to deal with living in a car, wearing dirty clothes, and getting ready for school at the nearest gas station. She wants a home. A REAL home, but when she asks her momma when, all Georgina gets is an angry "Soon! I'm tryin ya know!!!" So she has come up with a plan: to steal a dog. Then all she's gotta do is pretend like she's found the dog when the reward signs go up. So she decides to steal the dog from the bi...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Avery Maxwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, award-winners, historical-fiction, 3rd-5th

How To Steal A Dog is the story of Georgina Hayes, a poor African American girl from Darby, North Carolina. Georgina's family is living out of their car and while her mother is working two jobs, they still cannot make ends meet. Georgina finds a Lost Dog poster with a reward of $500 and decides that she will steal a dog, collect the reward money, and move her family into a place of their own. While on this mission, Georgina realizes it is much harder to steal a dog than she originally thought. I...more

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Jan 24, 2013 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book by Barbara O'Connor that I have read with my 7 year old Grandson. He so enjoyed The Road To Mr. Mineo's. that we moved right into this one. In How To Steal A Dog we have a homeless family, living in their car. Georgina and her little brother Toby and their Mom are barely getting by. Georgina hears that somebody got a $500 reward for returning a lost dog, and she gets an idea. This leads to a plan for stealing a dog and collecting a reward for returning it. Georgina knows...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Sky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this is a great read for middle schoolers. Georgina's father has just left and her family (her mother, brother Toby, and herself) are struggling to get by. They've just gotten evicted from their apartment and are living out of their car. Georgina is ashamed of her situation and tries to keep everyone, including her best friend, from knowing about it. She finally comes up with an outrageous plan to steal a dog for ransom to try to get reward money from its owner.
Georgina is a very well-de...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Sheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Georgina is mortified that her family lives in their car after her daddy up and left them. Eating lots of tunafish, bathing in gas stations, and sleeping in parking lots all over town has Georgina at her wits end. She hatches a plan to steal a dog even though she knows it's wrong. With help from her brother, Toby, the two succeed in stealing Willy. Now all they have to do is get the reward money and then they can finally move into an apartment where things will go back to normal. Easy, right?

But...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Last year's winner as Surrey's book of the year, this children's novel tells the story of Georgina and her family and their recent hardships as they have been recently evicted and living in their car. After their father leaves them with three rolls of quarters and a jar full of bills, the family struggles after they are forced to leave their apartment and survive without money and a place to live.

Living in their car, struggling to deal with so much we take for granted such as finding food, washi...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 six...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, homelessness

When Georgina and her family somehow end up living in the car after her father deserts them, she tries to hide the truth from everyone, including her best friend Luanne Godfrey, and her teacher. It's hard to maintain hygiene and eat well, and although Georgina's mother does her best to save money for a place to stay, even working two jobs, it's not fast enough for Georgina. After she happens to see a sign with a reward for a missing dog, she begins carefully plotting how to find and steal a dog,...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: younger-readers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 ofte...more 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. (less)

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Nov 28, 2011 Casey rated it 3 of 5 stars

1. Contemporary Realism

2. Summary: Georgina Hays and her family are going through a rough time; her mother lost her job and cannot afford to pay the rent so they get kicked out of their apartment. Georgina hates being poor and feels bad for her mother so she gets the clever idea to steal someone's dog in hopes that they would put up a flier offering a reward. Georgina would return the dog and collect the money but soon Georgina realises that nothing is going to go her way.

3. Critique:

a.) This st...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Sharon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, juvenile-fiction

I had been curious to read this book since a patron told me their school library wouldn't let their daughter (who I believe is in 3rd grade) check this out. Reading the book, it deals with difficult subject matter like homelessness, poverty, and moral choices, but it does so all in a way that promotes empathy and how difficult it is to make the right choice sometimes.

Main character Georgina is sick of being embarrassed about living in the family car, which had ostracized her from her friends and...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Shawyuan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dear readers,

I read this book called How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor. The main character is Georgina Hays, her parents are divorced. She lives with her younger brother and mom. They got kicked out of their apartment because they did not have enough money to pay for rent. Her mom got fired from her job because she was late. Since they were poor they really wanted some money. Late one night when Georgina was lying on her part of the car, she saw a sign that said "Lost Dog, founders will get...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Ilona added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. After being evicted from her apartment, Georgina, her mother, and brother have to live in their car. She's cramped and miserable, and her mom has to work at two jobs, and even that just barely earn them enough money. And if that isn't enough, her best friend, Luanne Godfrey, knows about this whole situation. Georgina wants desperately to help her mom get enough money to buy a house. But how? Inspiration comes to her as she stares absentmindedly at an old, faded Lost Dog sign. She was going to st...more After being evicted from her apartment, Georgina, her mother, and brother have to live in their car. She's cramped and miserable, and her mom has to work at two jobs, and even that just barely earn them enough money. And if that isn't enough, her best friend, Luanne Godfrey, knows about this whole situation. Georgina wants desperately to help her mom get enough money to buy a house. But how? Inspiration comes to her as she stares absentmindedly at an old, faded Lost Dog sign. She was going to steal a dog, and when those Lost Dog signs go up, she's going to return the dog and collect the reward money.
Georgina tells her brother, Toby, her plan. She figures she can't keep the plan a secret from him, anyway. She starts a journal with rules about stealing a dog- such as the characteristics that the dog and owner must posses, and how to take care of the dog once you steal him. After a lot of painstaking searching, they finally find the perfect dog- a little black-and-white dog named Willy.
Before they steal Willy, their mother has news: they're going to get a house! Georgina decides that she won't need to steal Willy after all. But after sleeping for a few nights in the dilapidated house, she changes her mind.
However, the decrepit building plays an important part- after effortlessly stealing Willy, they need somewhere to keep him. Although the place isn't fit for a man, its porch is fine for keeping the little bicolored dog until they receive the money.
A short time after the theft, Georgina and Toby meet the dog's owner, Carmella. She is a woman who lives alone and lives for Willy. She's devastated about the loss of her dog, and, contrary to Georgina's assumptions, she didn't think about making Lost Dog signs offering a reward of $500, because she doesn't have the money until she borrows it from her Uncle Hayward.
After she returns Willy to Carmella, honesty finally reaches Georgina and she can't help but tell the entire story to Willy's owner. Because she feels much guilt, she tells Carmella to return the money to her uncle.
Hope is not lost, though. Georgina's mother tells her that a friend of a relative had just had a baby and needed help paying the rent, etc., and is living on her own. She is willing to share her house with Georgina's family. Finally, a home of their own!(less)

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May 17, 2010 Jared Burton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: english-353

O'Connor, Barbara. How to Steal a Dog. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc., 2007.
This book is about a girl and her brother who live with their mother out of their car. They live in their car after being kicked out of their apartment for not being able to pay rent. The mom works two jobs and is trying to save up money in order to get a new place to stay in. Until then, Georgina comes up with a plan to steal a dog in order to collect the reward of 500 dollars which will allow her and her family t...more

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Oct 15, 2009 Karin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: homelessness, juvenile-fiction, realistic, theft, families, lying-deception, moral-dilemmas, borrowed-from-the-library

When Georgina’s dad leaves them, she and her mother and little brother are evicted from their apartment and have to live in their car until mom can work out some other arrangements. Being homeless stinks – literally – they make do with public restrooms to try and clean themselves up, and use the Laundromat, but all of their clothes are wrinkled, and Georgina feels greasy and dirty all the time. What’s worse is that other kids start to notice her appearance and make her feel bad. Georgina is angr...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Shayla.boyle rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story of three: Georgina, her brother and mother find themselves homeless after their father/husband left them unexpectedly. Unfortunately, Georgina's mother cannot afford to pay for a home which forces them to sleep in their old and run down car. One trash bag is full of their belongings and the family takes care of themselves at random gas stations/stores. In time, Georgina's classmates notice the change as she lives longer and longer in her car. While their mother tries to earn money, Geo...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Kara Buchholz rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, 3-5, animals, sibling, family, 2008-bank-street-best-children-s, south-carolina-book-award-for-child, 311

Summary
Georgina Hayes has been living in a car for quite some time now, with her brother and mother. Their father had left them with practically nothing but a few dollars, spare change, what they could fit into a single garbage bag, and the car. Georgina begins to quickly learn that she does not enjoy her new life living in a car. She quickly loses friends, loses interest in school, and loses her interest in everything but stealing a dog.
Georgina notices a reward sign of a lost dog for $500 dol...more Summary
Georgina Hayes has been living in a car for quite some time now, with her brother and mother. Their father had left them with practically nothing but a few dollars, spare change, what they could fit into a single garbage bag, and the car. Georgina begins to quickly learn that she does not enjoy her new life living in a car. She quickly loses friends, loses interest in school, and loses her interest in everything but stealing a dog.
Georgina notices a reward sign of a lost dog for $500 dollar, which triggers her idea to steal a dog, and then return it to get the monetary reward. She begins to write her book on how to steal a dog. Through her journey she learns that the path you leave behind is sometimes more important than the one you are on.
Response
I gave the book two stars because I really did not think there was a point to the story. It was a loose ended book, every time you thought something may happen it never did. Even though the book does match what a realistic fiction meets; having real life events, (ch. 7 PP slide 3) the writing of the book is what made it so poor. Sadly, some children will be able to relate to this story especially depending on the socioeconomic status of the area a school is located in. Another aspect of the book that I did not like was that Georgina was never showed enjoying school, she always chose to run away from it along with not doing her homework and not showing her mom the notes from the teacher. This would be a bad influence on students and may even make them think the way Georgina did. This book I thought was going to remind me of myself because I love dogs but I do not see myself in this book.
Classroom Connection
I really did not think that there was too much a teacher could do to connect How to Steal a Dog in a classroom, but here are a few. A student could draw a map of all the events that took place in the book and where the student pictures them to be. The teacher can also use this book to show that if the students are having a hard family life that they should be able to come to the teacher or principal of the school with their problems.
Text Complexity
Interest level 3-5. Grade Level equivalency 4.4. Lexile 700L
(less)

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Jan 13, 2010 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals-dogs, children-fiction, 5011, homelessness, bluestem-nominee-2011

Out of desperation for their seemingly hopeless situation, Georgina persuades her little brother Toby to help her 'steal' a dog and then claim the nearly certain $500 reward that the owner will offer for its safe return. Georgina is careful to pick a much-loved, well cared for, dog that resides in a huge house. After stealing Willy the dog and keeping him safe in a old abandoned house, she subsequently befriends the dog's owners and starts to share in her sorrow and pityful attempts to raise eno...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Cheryl rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 kidnap...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: empathy, intermediate-kids-book, character-motivation, theme, character-who-writes, audio-book

Another Barbara O'Connor book to love! Georgina and her little brother live in a car with their mother after their father left. After Georgina sees a sign offering a reward for a lost dog, she gets the idea that if she steals a dog, especially one that is loved by a rich person, she can hide it, then return it as if she found it, and get a monetary reward. It would buy them a place to live! She keeps notes in her journal with "How to Steal a Dog" tips, and after scoping out nearby areas, she fin...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Courtney rated it 2 of 5 stars

This gets two stars only because of Mookie, he saved it from it being a one star book.

This book is sad, I'm sad to say I didn't have much sympathy for the main character because she's mean and rude throughout to her younger brother. Georgina's plan to steal a dog was maybe understandable but it was all just bad.

The mother got on my nerves. She's tense and angry the whole time (her husband left her and they're now living in a car so I suppose she has a reason but she has two kids to take care of...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Kristin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of my new favorite books! How to Steal a Dog is the story of Georgina, her brother Toby and her mother whom become homeless after their dad/husband left them unexpectedly. Unfortunately, Georgina’s mother cannot afford to pay for a home forcing the three of them to sleep in their old, run down car. As time goes on, Georgina’s classmates starts to notice the change in state as she goes longer and longer living in the car. As Georgina and Toby’s mother tries to earn money, Georgina see...more

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May 27, 2010 Lacey rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is about a girl named georgina and her dad left them with only three roles of quarters and a mayo jar full of dollar bills.She lives in a car with her mom and brother toby. They see a lost dog sign that had a $500 reward on it. They wanted to find the perfect dog to steal and get money to live in a house. she doesnt want anyone to know that she lives in a car cause the kids at her school will make fun of her... and so one day they were walking around and saw this big house with a lady...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: tween

Not what I expected at all, but once again read to be discuss with 10 year old. I thought it would be a light funny story, but no. "The day I decided to steal a dog was the same day my best friend,..., found out I lived in a car." That's the first sentence. A young girl, her brother and their mother are homeless after the father left. The girl gets the idea to steal a dog and then collect the reward money to help them get a place to live. To me the dog stealing was just a side story to the "real...more

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Jan 23, 2011 김동욱 rated it 4 of 5 stars

how to read a dog was not bad but i criticize the book because
we can expect the stories at first 3, or 4 chapters
i joyfully applause babara o' connor for that creative idea but i dare say she stopped at that idea.
georgina plain girl, has broke-up famillies
and they(georgina, mom, and toby) lives in a car
and she hate that daily route.
saw a ad on the wall anshe found the house that want to find a dog, and thought to steal a dog and get the money oh that was a cute expresion ㅋ (<< you can't...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Mia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, chapter-book, fourth-grade, third-grade, print

After being deserted by her dad, Georgina ends up living out of a car with her mother and little brother. Georgina hates living out of a car, washing up and brushing her teeth at the gas station, and going to school in wrinkly clothes. Georgina's mother is struggling and working two jobs, but she does not have enough for an apartment yet. Georgina sees a old sign posted that says 'Lost Dog - $500 Reward'. Georgina comes up with a plan to steal the perfect dog and get the reward money so her and...more

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About Barbara O'Connor

I'm a children's book author. My books include The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis Greetings from Nowhere, and How to Steal a Dog, Moonpie and Ivy, and Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia. In addition to being a five-time winner of the Parents Choice Award, my awards include the Massachusetts Book Award, School Library Journal Best Books, Bank Street College...more

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