Elizabeth Scott

My name is Danielle. I'm eighteen. I've been stealing things for as long as I can remember. Dani has been trained as a thief by the best—her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends—a real life. In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She's making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani—because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they've targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known—or the one she's always wanted.

Stealing Heaven

I read this book in middle school and it really stuck with me. Though it’s a middle-grade book, I love the messages it shares about finding your own path in life and find it really resonated with me while reading it a second time through in my 20s. The main character, Dani, is torn between trying to please her mother and live the life of crime she’s always known, and finding true connection and settling down into a new life she has never had the chance to experience. The ending is bitter-sweet, but I love how she learns to make her own choices and break out of the path prescribed for her since she was little. I would definitely recommend this one!

Erin Goss

Talia Dominguez 

Eighteen-year-old Danielle has been moving around her whole life. Town to town. House to house. But for Dani, it’s not just a matter of moving into a new home. It’s a matter of living life on the run. Dani and her mother are thieves, and leading a life of crime is all she knows --- until they enter the small beach town of Heaven, where their not-so-traditional lifestyle finally catches up with them.

Dani’s father introduced her mother to “the fine art of burglary” when they were young. As an infant she joined them on jobs. When she was five her father was arrested, only to bust out of prison two years later. But that did not mean the family reunited. Instead, Dani and her mother were left to provide for themselves doing the only thing they knew --- stealing. Specifically, silver from wealthy homes.

Dani has had so many different names and fake identities she’s not even sure who she really is. Plus, she has never gone to school because they don’t stay anywhere long enough. “Mom says I haven’t missed anything by not going to school, that I know how to read and write and figure out our percentage from a sale and, ‘that’s more than most people know, baby. Some kids go to school and leave not knowing how to write their own name. You can do that and you can tell plate from sterling just by looking at it. That’s education.’”

When Dani and her mother reach Heaven, however, things are different. While wandering on the beach, Dani meets Allison Donaldson, a girl her age. Allison warms up to her automatically and treats her like a friend, sharing gossip about boys. At first Dani doesn’t know how to act, but then she realizes that maybe Allison is just being friendly. Then, Dani becomes acquainted with Greg --- another local who she unwillingly finds adorable. However, she learns that Greg has the worst of all professions. He’s a cop!

Jen Estrella

What you should look forward to


This novel is something that feels close to a coming-of-age story.

1. Conflicts are more internal but are handled quite well.
2. It’s a unique story, and although one cannot fully empathize with Dani, her internal struggles (i.e. a battle of wills against her mother and her own) become highly relatable as the story progresses.
3. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, the story offers heartwarming resolutions. I was actually impressed at how the author ended the book. Some may take it as open-ended or worse unresolved, but to me it was realistic and sensible.
4. This can actually be a pretty decent summer read.
5. A slow, down-to-earth, comforting romance: If there’s one thing that I liked very much about this book, it’s the romance. It’s the kind of romance that makes you want to snuggle under the covers while drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows.

  ”You’re smiling"
“So? I smile all the time. Not like some people”
“What are you saying?”
“What do you think I’m saying?”
“I think you’re a pain in the ass”
“There we go” he says “I knew I could do it”
“Do what?”
“Make you smile”
“I’m not smiling” I tell him. But I am I can feel it



  I look at him. He looks… kind of nervous. I don’t get it. “You want me to go to an island with you?”
“Is this going to turn into a big extended question thing? I mean, if I say ‘Yeah, with me,’ will you say, ‘what do you mean by”with me”?”
“Why would it turn into a question thing?”
He grins at me. “I don’t know. Why would it?”
That grin again. I wish…
Wait a minute. “are you trying to ask me out?”
“At any point during any conversation we’ll have is there a chance that you won’t reply to everything I say with questions?”
“So you weren’t trying to ask me out?”
“I want you to know you’re doing wonders for my self-esteem here. Which means, before you ask another question, yes I was. I mean, I am.”



  Leftover thoughts


1. Underdeveloped characters
2. Not so much happened that others might find the book a boring read (if not for the eventual character development)
3. Greg is just too good to be true. Yes, I have no doubt about this one.
4. I wish there was more exploration and back story on Greg’s character.

Stephanie

Allison Urban

I rated this book a 4/5 because I loved Dani's character. She was sassy, but sweet at the same time. I liked her and Greg's relationship. The reason it lost a star was because Scott never really explained what happened to Dani's mother.

Milana Marie Waller

When I first picked this book up, it reminded me of Dreamsleeves for some reason. It was kind of similar,mostly because I think the characters are very alike. I would definitely recommend this book, it was pretty faced paced and I always wanted to read it. I just wish it had a more conclusive ending.

Stealing Heaven

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