How+to+Steal+a+Dog

By Barbra O’Connor After much excitement I finished the book “How to Steal a Dog.” In this book a girl named Georgina, her little brother Toby, and their mama are living in a car. To get enough money to buy and live in a house, Georgina plans to steal, and then return a dog for a money reward. Georgina has to find the perfect dog before she can take action. This book was extremely fun to read and I strongly recommend it.
 * __ How to Steal a Dog __**

The characters in this story are very realistic, I felt like they were in the room with me when I was reading. The characters are also very well developed, and they all have a lot of back round information. Georgina and her brother Toby are the main characters, and their mama is too. Luanne is Georgina’s best friend, but when Luanne found out Georgina lived in a car, they sort of avoided each other. Georgina looks for a dog that is loved and doesn’t really bark or bite. The dog that Georgina finds is the perfect dog, and his name is Willy. Willy’s owners name is Carmella, and she is important in this book too. One day Georgina finds a person named Mookie who had been taking care of Willy when she stole him. Georgina couldn’t keep Willy in the car with her so she tied him up at an old shack where Mookie took care of him.

The theme in this story is about Georgina living in a car, and trying to get enough money to bye and live in a house. Georgina got the idea to steal a dog one night by finding a lost dog sign on a post. Georgina told Toby her plan and she said “You got to keep this a secret.” Georgina and Toby looked up and down different roads but didn’t find the perfect dog. When Toby was done looking on his last road and Georgina was done hers, Georgina asked “any luck,” and Toby replied “I only saw one but he growled at me.” Then they both went down one more road called Whitmore road. Georgina and Toby didn’t see any dogs on Whitmore road until they got to the end of it, they saw the little black and white puppy Willy. Georgina said “Toby, I think we just found us a dog.” The theme is very exciting and interesting.

“How to Steal a Dog” takes place in present time at Darby, North Carolina. The story’s setting really relates to the theme, and that makes everything really exciting. The setting relates to the theme because Georgina had no home so she thought of the plan to steal a dog so she could get the money to buy a house. Georgina asked her mama “would five hundred dollars be enough money to get us a place to live?” I suppose so” Georgina’s mama replied. That’s when Georgina really picked up her stealing a dog plan. Georgina did not like living in a car, she said over and over again, so Georgina and Toby tried their hardest to get the money.

The plot in this story was very well organized and suspenseful. In the rising action Georgina and Toby start to plan everything they need to know to steal a dog. They also have to deal with all the drama of living in a car with no money. The climax is about having to take care of the dog, and to look for reward signs. The climax is very suspenseful too. The resolution is great too because Georgina gets a new home with other people. Georgina ends up telling Carmella the whole story of her stealing Willy, but it all works out in the end. “How to steal a dog” is a great book for people of all ages. The story really keeps your attention, and it’s very entertaining. This book has many great qualities, and I recommend this fascinating story for anyone of any age. Reviewed by Alyssa LaFave