#promising

Book Info: 

Title: The Dog Heist by Dani Jansen

Genre: Middle Grade

Publishing Date: September 1, 2026

Synopsis: 

A neglected dog brings two misfits together in this adventure for middle schoolers who love animals and stories where the kids take charge.

For Caleb, September is off to a rough start. His parents have split up, he’s moved to a new town, and—worst of all—he misses his dog. Valery is his new neighbor, but apart from being in the same class, they have nothing in common. Valery is lonely and hurt since her best friend abandoned her for a boy, and she thinks Caleb is just obnoxious. Under normal circumstances, they’d never be friends. But these aren’t normal circumstances.

There’s a hurricane coming, and Valery and Caleb are both worried for Lyra, their neighbor’s terribly neglected dog. None of the adults in their lives will do anything, so they hatch a plan to rescue her themselves, no matter how risky.

Book Links: 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/247684546-the-dog-heist

Amazon: https://a.co/d/0bUZ3Gzt

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dog-heist-dani-jansen/1149503196

IndieBound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-dog-heist-dani-jansen/31e3acf3916c7f20

About the Author: 

Dani Jansen is an English and drama teacher who lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. She performed (as a teacher) in her school’s glee show for eight years. Yes, there is probably video evidence of this. No, she will not point you in the direction of where to find it. Dani helped found her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance and has only occasionally subjected her students to the Bard. Her writing has appeared in This Magazine, Lunch Ticket, The A3 Review, and Fiction Southeast. She has also contributed to Maman Loup’s Den. Her debut novel, The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life, came out September 22, 2020.

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.danijansen.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniannejansen/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20027034.Dani_Jansen

Tour Schedule: 

https://topplingstackstours.com/2026/08/06/tour-schedule-the-dog-heist-by-dani-jansen/

This was okay and would of had alot more promise if the characters of Caleb and Valery who were likeable if they were fledged out. For example we know about Caleb's ADHD but I would of liked to learn more also Dani touched on the lonliness of the characters which I have not seen in many Middle Grade books and wished that it was discussed more. I liked the short chapters but Valery should of had her own chapters instead of being in with Caleb's. I loved the setting and the changes in the weather gave it a fantastic atmosphere. What would of been really good was to have Lyra's POV.

For all the above reasons The Dog Heist receives 3 stars.