How to Steal a Dog

Description

Don’t miss Barbara O’Connor’s other middle-grade work—like Wish; Wonderland; Greetings from Nowhere; Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia; The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester; and more!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.
How to Steal a Dog is a 2008 Bank Street – Best Children’s Book of the Year. This title has Common Core connections.

Georgina Hayes may be homeless, but she’s not hopeless.

Barbara O’Connor is the author of numerous acclaimed books for children, including Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia; Me and Rupert Goody; and Greetings from Nowhere. She has been awarded the Parents’ Choice Gold and Silver Awards, the Massachusetts Book Award, and the Dolly Gray Award, among many honors. As a child, she loved dogs, salamanders, tap dancing, school, and even homework. Her favorite days were when the bookmobile came to town. She was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, and now lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts, a historic seaside village not far from Plymouth Rock.

Discussion Questions
1. Define homelessness. Is Georgina’s homelessness similar to or different from what you’ve thought homelessness was? How is it similar/different?
2. Georgina knows that stealing the dog is wrong, but she does it anyway. Have you ever done something that you knew was wrong because you felt you had no other choice? How did you feel after doing it?
3. Why do you think Georgina doesn’t tell her teacher or her best friend, Luanne, about her situation?
4. How does Luanne react to Georgina and her changed appearance and personality? If you were Luanne and knew there was something wrong with your friend, what do you think you would do?
5. What role does Mookie play in the story? Compare and contrast Mookie’s homelessness with Georgina’s situation.
6. Mookie says to Georgina, “Sometimes, the more you stir it, the worse it stinks” (p. 134). What do you think this means?
7. At the end of the story, things get better for Georgina. Her family is living in a house again, Willie is back home with his owner, and Carmella forgives Georgina for stealing her dog. Finally, Georgina determines that stealing a dog is not a good idea. Do you think Georgina learned a lesson from her experience? If so, what is the lesson that she learned?

“Will keep youngsters totally engaged. This novel’s gentle storytelling carries a theme of love and emphasizes what is really right in the world.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review“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 moral quandary will surely generate discussion.” —Booklist“A suspenseful and achingly realistic story.” —Kirkus Reviews“O’Connor knows how to spin a touching story, and reading this novel is its own reward.” —The Horn Book“O’Connor once again smoothly balances challenging themes with her heroine’s strength and sense of humor.” —Publishers Weekly“Will give a more privileged audience much to ponder.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books“A must-have for a classroom library.” —IRA