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How to Steal a Dog: A Novel
Автор: Barbara O'Connor
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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. This title has Common Core connections.
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How to Steal a Dog: A Novel
Автор: Barbara O'Connor
Описание
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. This title has Common Core connections.
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Great read aloud.
Georgia's life has changed drastically in the last few weeks: her father moved out, they were kicked out of their house, and now they are living in her mother's car all while trying to pretend that things are just as they used to be. They need to find a new place to live, but first they need money and even though her mom is working two jobs there just isn't enough. Inspired by a Lost Dog sign, Georgia creates a "how to" for stealing a dog and then executes the plan in order to get the reward money. What she never expected was getting to know the dog and his owner. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book -- it seemed very sneaky. But I liked how it ended and the true-feeling struggle Georgia had both with herself and the other characters in the book. It also is a good viewpoint with today's tricky economy and the burdens it places on children.
In Barabra O’Conner’s new book, How to Steal a Dog, we meet Georgina Hayes, a regular girl who has just had her whole life turned upside down. First, she tells us her dad walked out on her mom, leaving the family poor. Georgina tells us she, her brother and her mom are then forced out of their apartment and have to live in their car. Georgina has to go to school dirty and tired, something that leaves her very embarrassed. Eventually, her best friend stops hanging out with her. She’s just plain miserable until she comes up with a plan to turn things around. She decides to steal a dog and then return it when a reward sign is posted. Georgina plots out her theft in a notebook, but when she finally goes through with her plan, things don’t go at all how she planned. Her guilt piles up and she learns first impressions are not always right. The book shows how rough money problems and being homeless can be on kids. It also shows how difficult it can be for parents to make ends meet. People who are going through similar problems will find it easy to relate to Georgina’s troubles and her desire to help her family. However, some readers might have a hard time relating to Georgina’s problems and may see her as an unlikable character. She can appear to be judgmental and negative in some parts of the book. Also, some readers may have a hard time rooting for a character that is knowingly doing something that is wrong.
Moralistic pap.
I liked the folksy tone of this book. The family's homelessness and Georgina's frustrations are realistically depicted, as is her gut-churning guilt at stealing Willy the dog. Georgina is a good kid trying to do the wrong thing for the right reasons, but she's always aware that it's a fine line she's crossing.
*Novel*FictionThis is a heartfelt story of desperation told from the point of view of a little girl who is homeless. After her father left, Georgina, her brother Toby and their mother were left with nothing. Living out of their car, wondering where the next meal would come from and constantly searching for a way “out”, Georgina decides that she has to do something to help her family get money. After seeing a sign for a lost dog, offering a reward of $500, Georgina has an idea. She’ll steal a beloved dog from a wealthy family, return it and collect the reward money. Then she and her family would have enough money to move out of their car and into a real house. What she doesn’t expect is how much she’ll learn about herself and life during her quest.
Georginia's family is falling apart and she, her mom and brother are living in their car. Her grades suffer, friendships fall apart. She cooks up a scheme to steal a dog and then collect the reward money to pay rent for an apartment. A quick read.
serious topic, living in car, mother, daughter & son-Toby, father left, Georgina Hayes, problems at school, reward for dog, dog-Willy, Carmella's dog, she helps them, dog disappears from where they are keeping it
How do you deal with life when your father walks away and your life changes. Suddenly you live in a car with you Mother and brother and you try to sort out your life. Try stealing a dog to get reward to help your Mother out. But you discover the it isn't that simple.
Most adults understand right and wrong. Lying, cheating, stealing - all wrong. But to an adolescent, the answers are not always black and white. Is it okay to lie to avoid a punishment or hurting someone's feelings? Is it okay to cheat if it helps you get ahead? Is it okay to steal if you really, really want something you can't get any other way? In "How to Steal a Dog" by Barbara O'Connor what Georgina Hayes really wants is to stop living with her mom and brother out of a car.She decides on a fairly simple scheme; find a dog belonging to a rich owner, steal it, wait for the reward signs to be posted, return the dog, and collect the money. Stealing is okay in that situation, isn't it? After all, what could go wrong? O'Connor does a fantastic job of creating empathy for Georgina in her homeless state The reader is with Georgina every step of the way while she wrestles with the dilemma of trying to improve her circumstances at the cost of ignoring her moral compass. Be sure to have this available for junior/intermediate students. They'll love it.
Georgina Hayes desperately needs money. Georgina, her mom, and brother are homeless and live in their car. Georgina sees a poster for a missing dog and gets the idea to steal a dog to collect the reward money. I'd highly recommend reading this book especially if you are a dog-lover. Georgina, the "underdog" struggles to help her family while trying to do the "right thing." This book is recommended for grades 3 and up.
characters and plot could be better developed
Here we see the plight of the homeless through the eyes of a girl desperate to have a bed of her own. A crisis of conscience would be a spingboard for rich discussion.
A very cute and well written story. O Connor has a wonderful voice, and I can imagine fifth grade students warming to her humor. The book poses an issue of honesty and teaches kids about the importance of doing the right thing, even when its hard, without being preachy. I really enjoyed this one a lot!
The struggle that this family is going through is easily related to by many of young people today. Showing how the economy has affected many families and the hardships endured by the the children helps people be more sympathetic to the situation.
This was a mid-range priced download for $6.99. I was drawn to the book because of the endearing synopsis. (Children's stories have always been a big draw for me - even as a grown up). Georgina, a 12 year old sixth grader, is stuck in a horrible situation, her father up and left her family with nothing but "three roles of quarters and a mayonnaise jar full of wadded-up dollar bills." When Mama can't come up with enough money to pay the rent, Toby and Georgina are forced to live in their "nasty old car". Humiliated with her unkempt appearance and current situation, Georgina tries desperately to keep her predicament a secret. It all comes to a head, though, when her best friend, Luanne discovers she now lives in a car. That is the exact day Georgina decided to steal a dog and devise a plan to help her family. But its not going to be as easy as she thinks!Book Discussion: This story is recommended for readers ages 9-12. I believe it is as advertised, a perfect fit book for boys and girls alike in this age bracket. The author's writing style was very believable. I loved the way her words flowed and she brought the story to life. Geogenia, the main character was very likable. I felt genuinely sorry for her and her family's plight. It even had me nearly convinced that maybe stealing this dog wasn't exactly wrong in this particular case. The author wove a compelling story of how sometimes "bad times can make a person do bad things". Does this make it OK? Should someone be allowed to break the law, if its for a good cause? This book is chalked full of life lessons and would be very thought provoking for any young reader. A delightful "tail", I strongly recommend this book for both young readers and the young at heart!Extra Goodies: Here's a link to the author's website.
This book was about a young girls journey through life, living out of a car with her mother and brother struggling to get by. She decides one day to steal a dog so she can get a "reward" and pay for a home for her family. However her plan does not seem to go as she expected, and ends up learning a valuable lesson about life.
This is the story about a little girl named Georgina and her brother Tolby, whose father walked out on them leaving them with nothing but an old car to sleep in. Georgina sees a lost dog/ reward $500. sign and out of desperation Georgina sets out to steal a dog to get enough money for an apartment. Georgina makes a list of how to steal a dog. Her and her brother follow the list but find that it is not as easy as they thought. They finally find what they thought was the perfect dog, one that doesn't bark, bite, the owner has enough money to pay a reward and is truly loved. Once they have the dog they care for it, and love it while waiting for the reward sign to go up. After a couple days of no signs they run into the owner and find that she is not rich at all. They tell the lady, Carmella, that they will help look for the dog. Georgina can't get rid of the nagging feeling she has because she knows how wrong it was to steal the dog and sees how distraught Carmella is without her dog. They meet a homeless man, named Mookie, who is camping out where they have the dog hidden and he really gets Georgina thinking. She asks why is he is homeless and he tells her that we always works, but not always for money, this puzzles Georgina so she asks why work for free and he responds that sometimes somebody needs something more than he does. Goergina still doesn't really understand. Mookie two motto's he shares with her, the first is "sometimes the more you stir the pot, the stinkier it gets" and the other is " the road behind you is often more important than the road in front of you" In the end she figures out what Mookie's motto's really meant and not only returned the dog but owned up to what she did by telling Carmella the truth.I loved this story, it shows that in desperation we often make bad choices but it is never to late to correct them. I think kids of all ages would like this book. It would be great for discussing the choices we make, the consequences, and owning up to both.
I found this to be a tear-jerker. O'Connor has a knack for depicting extreme poverty. She makes kids think about tough issues and realize that things are not black-and-white. It's an easy enough read, but it also really has something to say.
Georgina’s father has left and now she and her mother and little brother are homeless. Her mother ekes out a precarious living working two jobs, but it is not enough to get an apartment. Georgina is desperate to find a way to get enough money to move out of their car and comes upon the idea of stealing a dog and turning the dog into the owner for the reward money. She carefully plots a plan to steal a dog. Of course nothing goes as she has planned. The dog’s owner is not the wildly affluent woman Georgina has thought her to be and the owner is distraught at the loss of her dog. Georgina has to decide to carry out her original plan or to find a way to return the dog to her owner.
Georgina is a desperate young girl who wants more than anything to move out of the car she, her little brother and mother are living in. Georgina narrates this funny, exciting story as she plots, plans, and executes her thoughtful plan to steel a dog in order to receive a reward of $500. Although stealing is wrong, and Georgina knows it is wrong, she pushes her thoughts aside to do what needs to be done. The rules and ideas Georgina keeps in her notebook are witty and easy to relate to, and her words creatively display her values and wisdom about people. Although this story has a depressing setting, homeless and living out of a car, the book's realistic elements are enlightening.
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor is a story that is both sad and funny. Georgina Hayes lives with her mom and little brother Toby. It wasn’t so long ago that her dad lived with them too, but he took off suddenly one day, leaving them with not enough money to pay the rent. Now, they are forced to live in their car, while her mom tries to find work and save enough money to get them back into a real home. At school, Georgina covers up the truth of her situation. She tries to keep up, but over time her appearance and grades both get worse. Then, one day, she sees a sign for a lost dog with a reward for $500 and that gives her an idea to steal a dog, hide it and collect her own substantial reward. The perfect solution to their homelessness! Even though she knows it’s wrong, when she finds a cute little dog with personality plus named Willy, she decides that he’s the perfect dog to steal and carry out her plan. Once she has Willy, she’s in over her head and she needs to find a way out!
How To Steal A Dog was an emotional rollercoaster. The characters made you feel like you were right there with them. The sad part was that there was nothing I (the reader) could do. The story was based on a family who became homeless. Little Georgina, her little brother Toby, and her Mother were abandoned by there Father/Husband. They were left with nothing but there old car. Georgina's Mother went from job to job making barely any money. Georgina wanted a house so bad she decided to steal a dog and get a reward for it when she returned it. She found Willy who belonged to Carmella Whitmore. Unfortunately she was not rich and did not have the money for the reward. After a conscience battle with herself she finally admitted to what she had done and learned a great lesson. It was a wonderful story.
This is a good fiction novel for children, to help them open their minds to the struggles other children face. I'd probably use this during a diversity lesson or a moral lesson.
im a kid and this book it awesome its worth it