How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor Continued

The second half of this book was very different than the first half of this book. The morality and consciousness of Georgina was much more apparent in this portion of the book. I was very happy to see the character growth and progression throughout this book because in the first half of the story I found myself incredibly irritated and annoyed at Georgina’s attitude. She often complained about her mom and their living situation. It seemed like the relationships Georgina had with both her mom and her brother improved throughout the last half of the book. Georgina realizes her mother is trying very hard to improve their lifestyle and get them back into an apartment or home. It came across as if Georgina gained respect for her mom and the sacrifices she has made for their family. She finally acknowledged that their living situation isn’t all their moms fault. The relationship with her brother also improved. In the first half of the book Georgina’s approach to her brother was as if it was a burden or an annoyance. She dragged him along throughout her plan to steal the dog. However, in the second half of the book she interacts with her brother in a more respectful way. They work together more to take care of Willy, rather than Georgina controlling Toby. 

Regarding the aspect of her consciousness and morality I think Georgina made strides in improving her personal attitude and behavior. After stealing the dog, she finds out the owner, Carmella, doesn’t even have the money to pay for a reward. While she is pressured to talk to relatives and find help to come up with the money she is unsuccessful in doing so. Carmella, just like Georgina, is in a tough situation. I think this is a good lesson for Georgina because she was so quick to judge Carmella by her name and the house that she didn’t consider something may be going on in her life as well. The interaction with Carmella as well Mookie, a homeless man living in the abandoned building where they keep Willy, help Georgina realize she has made a wrong choice and she should have listened to her hesitations from the beginning. Because of the advice from Mookie as well as Toby, Georgina confesses what she has done and realizes the error in her ways. I believe she made the plans with good intentions but did not think of how it would affect other people. The lessons she learned from Mookie and Carmela will stick with her as she makes those kinds of important and drastic decisions.

I really enjoyed the last part of this book, especially in comparison to the beginning. However, one aspect of the book seemed rushed and somewhat unfitting with story. They have been going through all of these trial and problems in their life and all of the sudden Georgina’s family has a home to live in. I was glad their situation turned around. It just seemed like a stereotypical fairy-tale ending, where everything is perfect and well at the end. I think the purpose for this in this text is to show that Georgina made the right decision and was honest and in the end when we do things correctly, we work hard and we are honest we will reach our goals. I believed this to be one of the major themes and messages of the story. 

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was much different than I thought it would be, but in a good and thought provoking way.