Cover of How to Steal a Dog

How to Steal a Dog

by Barbara O'Connor

How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor is assigned in US schools at grades 3–5. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where How to Steal a Dog is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 3–5
Pages
170
Reading time
about 3h 5m (est.)
First published
2007
ISBN-13
9780545154420
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About this book

Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina, desperate to improve their situation and unwilling to accept her overworked mother's calls for patience, persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward that the owners are bound to offer.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is How to Steal a Dog?
How to Steal a Dog is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–5. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read How to Steal a Dog?
It takes about 3h 5m to read How to Steal a Dog (170 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 185 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign How to Steal a Dog?
How to Steal a Dog appears on reading lists for William Allen White Children's Book Award, Young Hoosier Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is How to Steal a Dog banned in schools?
How to Steal a Dog does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.

Why this book is on this list

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 3–5 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.