The Great Pet Heist

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Think about the book’s blend of a high-stakes heist with the humorous, everyday concerns of house pets. Did you find this combination effective? What moments stood out to you as particularly funny or surprisingly tense?

2. How did you feel about the novel’s take on the classic “secret lives” theme? If you’ve encountered this idea before, perhaps in a story like Sheila Burnford’s The Incredible Journey or a film like The Secret Life of Pets, how did this book’s approach feel fresh or different to you?

3. Which part of the heist was the most compelling for you to read: the initial planning based on Oscar’s TV knowledge, the chaotic reconnaissance missions, the actual theft, or the final “anti-heist”? What made that section so engaging?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. When have you felt like part of a non-traditional family, especially one that came together because of a shared challenge? What strengths did your group discover in the process?

2. The pets must use their unique, and often underestimated, skills to pull off their plan. What’s a personal skill or talent you have that might surprise people? How have you used it in an unexpected way?

3. What did Oscar’s total reliance on television for information about the human world make you think about? Can you recall a time when you learned something from media that turned out to be surprisingly useful or perhaps completely misleading?

4. Madison chooses to hide the fact that she is living alone and forges her aunt’s signature rather than telling an adult she needs help. Thinking about your own experiences, what makes it difficult for people, especially young people, to ask for help when they need it?

5. The animals’ constant performance of “normalcy” for Madison is a key part of their deception. Think about a time when you had to maintain a certain appearance to hide what was really going on. What challenges did that present for you?

6. Have you ever belonged to a club or team that gave itself a special name? What did creating that shared identity, like the “Strathmore Seven,” do for the group’s sense of unity and purpose?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. What does the story suggest about how our society cares for its most vulnerable members, such as the elderly, children in uncertain family situations, and pets without owners?

2. In what ways does the book challenge common perceptions about animal intelligence and emotional depth? Did it change how you think about the inner lives of pets?

3. The pets and Madison are all powerless within the systems meant to protect them, leading them to operate outside the rules to survive. What message, if any, do you think the novel sends about bending or breaking rules?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. In what ways does Emily Ecton adapt the conventions of the heist genre for a middle grade audience? Which classic character archetypes, like the mastermind or the specialist, did you see in the animal crew?

2. The narrative is told almost entirely from the animals’ points of view, creating dramatic irony where you, the reader, understand more than they do. Where did you find this technique most effective in creating either humor or suspense?

3. What is the significance of the building’s air vents? How does this hidden network reflect the pets’ own secret lives and their ability to gain power from unseen places?

4. Consider Oscar’s leadership throughout the book. How does his role change from the initial TV-obsessed mastermind to the crisis planner with a secret coin stash at the end of the story?

5. As the first book in a series, The Great Pet Heist serves as an origin story for the Strathmore Seven. How does the formation of this team compare to the beginnings of other famous series, like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, where a group of friends is brought together by a crisis?

6. How does the sparkly button, a small and seemingly insignificant object, become a crucial symbol in the novel? What does it represent about the connection between the pets’ secret mission and Madison’s vulnerable life in the human world?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you’re in charge of casting the voice actors for an animated movie based on The Great Pet Heist. Who would you choose for the voices of Butterbean, Oscar, Walt, Marco, Polo, and Chad, and what makes them the perfect fit for those personalities?

2. The book ends with the team possessing a small stash of gold coins for future emergencies. What kind of mission or caper do you imagine the Strathmore Seven taking on next?

3. Design a new animal character to be inducted into the Strathmore Seven. What kind of animal are they, what is their special skill or expertise, and how would their personality change the group’s dynamic?