1. Where are Georgina and her mother and brother living at the beginning of the story?  Why are they living there?
2. How does Georgina come up with the idea of stealing a dog?  Why does she decide to go ahead with her plan, even though she knows it is wrong?
3. Why does Georgina think that Carmella is going to be rich? What does she actually find out when she gets to know Carmella?

4. What are the two mottos that Mookie shares with Georgina? Choose one of them and explain what it means, using examples from the story.
5. Compare Georgina's life with her friend Luanne's. What are some of the differences in how the two girls live?
6. List two of the times Mama uses her "mean voice" with Georgina. Why do you think she does this? Do you think Mama is really a mean person?
7. Why do you think Carmella continues to be nice despite what Georgina has done?
8. List all the potential problems that could arise from stealing a dog. How does Georgina address each of these problems in her list of rules for stealing a dog? Does she forget anything?
9. Find three instances where Georgina gets frustrated with Toby. Why do you think she is so impatient with him? Do you think she really thinks he is dumb?
10. Reread the last four pages fo the book. Do you think the story has a happy ending? Why or why not?

The discussion questions for How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor are from Scholastic  teacher.scholastic.com/clubs/lit_circle_pdfs/howtostealadog_t.pdf