Stealing Heaven

by Elizabeth Spencer and Elizabeth Scott

Book Overview

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 there is--her mother. They never stay in one place long enough for Dani to have real connections, real friends--a real life.

But in the town of Heaven, everything changes. Suddenly, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known--or the one she's always wanted.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061122823
• ISBN13: 9780061122828
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.2"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

Unlike anything I expected!

Stealing Heaven is about 18 year old Danielle who secretly wishes she could be called Dani. But she can't even use her own name since she lives a life of crime along with her mother. They bounce from place to place robbing peoples houses. But they don't steal cash or jewelry or your DVD players. They steal only silver. I know, weird right? They end up in this small town called Heaven and suddenly, Dani's entire life changes. She finds out what it feels like to have a friend, a real friend who cares about you. To have a guy like you. And she hates her life of crime. Her mom fills her with empty promises, manipulates her (in my opinion) as well as everyone else around her. The messed up things her mom does really starts to show while they're in Heaven. How selfish and greedy she is. But yet, Dani clings on to her because she believes her mother is the only person who wants her around (were in the world did she get this idea from?!). Dani wants to stop, but she doesn't want to disappoint her mom. The worst part? The guy she likes is a cop. A rather sweet and understanding cop. I enjoyed reading about him and it made me miss having crushes. So what will Dani do? Will she continue to be controlled by her mother or will she finally take a stand and branch off and do her own thing? I have to admit, this book started off slow and boring (maybe because I'm not really into the whole robbing someone thing, did that statement sound stupid? Sorry, blame it on the place I grew up) but once they get into Heaven and the one day that Dani's life changes, everything is just a surprising roller coaster from there. I love Elizabeth Scott's writing as well. I highly recommend this book!

Enchanting, enthralling.

I loved STEALING HEAVEN. The reader is drawn into Danielle's world. She is a sympathetic character; it's so obvious that she's done the best she could with the cards she was dealt-- particularly the mother she has, a woman whose selfishness seems endless. Or is it? I highly recomend this book. It's a great read and an emotionally involving story. Beth Fehlbaum, author Courage in Patience, a YA story of HOPE.. Courage in Patience: A Story of Hope for Those Who Have Endured Abuse

And Another Book Read Reviews

Danielle is a girl of many names. Depending on the town she and her mom are in the name changes. Why is it that Danielle doesn't want anyone to know her identity? It's simple really; she and her mom are thieves. They go from town to town pilfering silver from the rich families in the area. As soon as one job is done they are planning the next one. When they arrive in a little coastal town called Heaven Danielle immediately knows that this place is different. While her mother has always told her the only things to believe in are silver and things you can hold, Danielle begins to realize that there really is more to life than just stealing. While Danielle is scouting the town for her mother one day, she ends up meeting Allison and Greg. While it is common for Danielle to meet people from town to town, she has never really had a friend let alone a boyfriend. Allison seems to be one of the nicest girls Danielle has ever met and while she knows it wouldn't be a good thing for them to be friends; she can't help but love Allison's bubbly personality. Then there's Greg. Greg is cute, interested in Danielle, and a cop! Danielle knows he is totally off limits, but she can't help being attracted to him. They forge such a special relationship that Danielle can't help but tell him everything, even her name. When Danielle and her mom run into conflict, she will be tested to make the most important decision of her life; to follow what she has always known, or to walk out onto a branch and try something new. WOW!! This is what was going through my head as I finished the book. It was amazing in every sense and Elizabeth Scott has out done herself yet again. I'm really not sure how it's possible, but her novels just get better and better as they come out! This is by far my favorite of her novels, though they are all excellent. The story was completely original and was beautifully written. There were no hitches between paragraphs where I felt myself wondering what was going on, everything just flowed. Danielle's character was also one of a kind. She had so many emotions that she thrust upon the reader that I truly felt like she was telling me her story I wasn't just reading it. Also Elizabeth Scott has once again shared an important lesson, not accepting the life your parents had as your own, and made it clear to the readers in a fun way. I was really intrigued to read about how Danielle struggled deciding what kind of life she wanted to live, not just the life she was always used to. I think this is definitely a prominent issue with teens today and like I said before, Elizabeth made thinking about the importance of this decision very real and significant. I absolutely cannot wait to read more by Elizabeth Scott as she is truly a gifted, wonderful, and fabulous author.

Livs Book Reviews

I loved this book! I had heard tons of good things about it, and it definitely did not disappoint. I think that Elizabeth Scott's novels just keep getting better and better. I've read all of them so far I think and I've liked all of them a ton so I'm really glad that Stealing Heaven was able to keep up that good-ness streak for me. I really liked how all of the characters were really in depth and relatable. The story put a girl whom we could all think of ourselves as being into a situation that none of us could imagine being in. I think the author portrayed the most normal and sincere teen girl in a beautiful way. You could see all the things that she was feeling and going through as she was put into many different situations. I also adored the character of Greg. Seriously though, what's with all of the perfect and utterly unreal guy characters?! It just makes me ache whenever I read about these flawless guys, the likes of which I believe do not exist in the real world. Even though Greg's character was realisticly unattainable, you can't help but love guys like him anyways. I think the thing I liked the best about the book though was the whole flow of the writing. Nothing was rushed and the story moved at a perfect pace. I loved being able to read about the events through Dani's eyes and I think that if the book hadn't been narrated by her it wouldn't have been as good just because she had such a fluid and relatable voice. I think the only teeny thing that bothered me was that in the end, the issue that Dani and Allison had with each other wasn't wrapped up like I would have liked it to have been. Other than that, Stealing Heaven was perfect; from the beginning sentences to the adorable ending. It's a perfect summer read.

A captivating coming-of-age novel

Reviewed by Neha Kashmiri (age 13) for Reader Views (7/08) "My name is Danielle. I'm eighteen. I've been stealing things as long as I can remember." The three short sentences on the inside of the cover flap draw you into the story like an old friend to an adventure. Danielle's life hasn't ever been normal. She and her mother have moved from town to town for as long as she can remember. But what they do in these towns is what matters. They steal silver, their drug of choice, from mansions and rich houses. Her father did it, before he was caught, her mother does it, and it's what she knows how to do. The question is "Is it what she wants to do?" Dani doesn't think that the sleepy coastal town of Heaven will be any different from any other place they've hit, but in fact it changes her entire life. She feels at home in the small beach town. Allison Donaldson, a nice, talkative girl, tempts Dani with friendship. Then Dani meets Greg, a cute boy that shows up everywhere, who makes her heart flutter and who, inadvertently, gets her to reveal her real name. As Dani starts to question her job as a thief, she finds out that the next house they've targeted is the Donaldson's--Allison's house--and that Greg is a cop, who she can never have a relationship with. "Stealing Heaven" is a captivating coming-of-age novel that everyone who reads it will love. Elizabeth Scott's writing is natural and funny, I seriously want to get my hands on "Perfect You," and any of her other books. She really lets you get into the mind of her main character. Dani's situation is unique and impossible to relate to but you end up doing that anyway. If you want a quick, funny and captivating read, "Stealing Heaven" by Elizabeth Scott is highly recommended.