Imagine a Dickens story with a Venetian setting, and you'll have a good sense of Cornelia Funke's prizewinning novel The Thief Lord, first published in Germany in 2000. This suspenseful tale begins in a detective's office in Venice, as the entirely unpleasant Hartliebs request Victor Getz's services to search for two boys, Prosper and Bo, the sons of Esther Hartlieb's recently deceased sister. Twelve-year-old Prosper and 5-year-old Bo ran away when their aunt decided she wanted to adopt Bo, but not his brother. Refusing to split up, they escaped to Venice, a city their mother had always described reverently, in great detail. Right away they hook up with a long-haired runaway named Hornet and various other ruffians who hole up in an abandoned movie theater and worship the elusive Thief Lord, a young boy named Scipio who steals jewels from fancy Venetian homes so his new friends can get the warm clothes they need. Of course, the plot thickens when the owner of the pawn shop asks if the Thief Lord will carry out a special mission for a wealthy client: to steal a broken wooden wing that is the key to completing an age-old, magical merry-go-round. This winning cast of characters--especially the softhearted detective with his two pet turtles--will win the hearts of readers young and old, and the adventures are as labyrinthine and magical as the streets of Venice itself. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Written by Sharon Leahy from Coos Bay, OR
on August 6th, 2008
Book Rating: 4/5
This is a most delightful book, and don't think it's just for kids! It's a tale of love, magic, suspense, and good triumphing in the end. There's no visciousness and no bullets, no car chases, but there's suspense and action and interest. It's a marvelous book.
Great Suspense with a Child's Imagination
Written by White&Gold from Lawrenceville, GA
on May 8th, 2007
Book Rating: 5/5
This novel was my first of Funke's many, and I plan on reading many more. Pure imagination and just plain fun, this children's book kept me entertained and had me listening to the plot unfold from work to the car and even at home! Just long enough and a great story. Highly recommended!
Thief Lord
Written by S. Allen from Keizer, OR
on January 24th, 2007
Book Rating: 4/5
Funke is a wonderful writer. I'm so pleased that her works are being translated into English! Some of the dialogue sounds stilted due to the translation process. But the children in the story, and the storyline, is exciting, adventerous, and touching. It deals with the pains of growing up, and allows the reader to explore what it would be like to be on your own with no adult supervision, with all its accompanying dangers and joys.
