This was a fun read. I enjoyed the characters in the book. Prosper and Bo trying so hard to stay together and the underworld ring of thieves that become their friends, especially the mysterious one who calls himself the 'Thief Lord'. You are kept guessing until the end and magic happens. ( )

This book went by fast! I actually managed to get it started on Friday night, then continued for the rest of the day on Sunday and finished it! It was so interesting I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. At first though I had to admit I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel. I was actually expecting a novel that was set in Venice back in the past, but surprisingly it actually took place in present day. Which didn't really make it uninteresting at all, it suited the setting just fine. I really liked the idea of a group of street children surviving and treating it all like one big adventure after another under the leadership of The Thief Lord. Although putting this in a historical fiction setting would also be good as well, it still does well in the present day setting albeit differently but it doesn't take long to get used to it.

The book was interesting enough, and the plot flowed through seamlessly. There was never a part in the book where I was bored. The chapters were short enough to keep you going and it was definitely a page turner. The majority of the characters were very likable although there were times where I wanted to smack Bo around a bit for being such a pest. Then again he played the role of little brother perfectly. I have to admit, Scipio had to be my favorite character. Especially after what happens to him near the end, I find that he has matured the most, but maintained his childhood self. I liked his character development the most. In the end though, all the children had matured and although it was sad to see everything change, it actually had quite a bittersweet ending. Why bittersweet? because I was just sad to see the story end with such likable characters.

Although a sequel might be tempting, I don't think there should be one. The ending was complete and all questions were answered. Actually, I think a sequel might actually ruin it. The story is fine as is. This book was a great mix of fantasy, adventure, and a bit of drama.

Overall, a really nice quick read, which will take you to an adventure and you'll ask yourself; Would you take a ride or not? ( )

Overall, I liked this book. There was an interesting plot with a number of twists, strong characters with good development throughout the story, and nice descriptive writing.However, this book is labeled as a fantasy story, but there is only one small element of fantasy within the entire book (and is only in a few chapters). The vast majority of the story (probably 90%) concerns the everyday exploits of a group of homeless children struggling to survive on the streets. I had been expecting more of a fantasy story, which may be why I've chosen to give the book 3 stars instead of 4. I think that the book itself was good, but it pales in comparison to other books in its genre. ( )

Funke, Cornelia. The Thief Lord. 2000. The Chicken House & Scholastic Inc.: New York.

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Themes: Theft, Orphans, Magic

Reading Level: ages 13-17

Awards: The Batchelder Award, New York Times Bestseller, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Censorship Issues: There were no issues or language in this book that would cause need for censorship or for prohibiting it from students.

Plot Summary (250 words or less):
Prosper and Bo are the two main characters, their mother passed away and their wealthy aunt and uncle got custody of them. The aunt only has interest in the young child, Bo and plans to send the older child, Prosper away to boarding school. To avoid being separated, the brothers run away to the city of Venice, the place that their mother told them magical stories about. Once in Venice, the boys meet up with some other street kids who are orphans and runaways. The street kids live in an abandoned movie theatre and get their money from selling stolen items brought to them by “the Thief Lord”. The Thief Lord is a mysterious boy who little is known about for most of the story, but a shocking twist is revealed about him about mid-way through the book. When his secret is revealed, his relationship with the other children changes drastically. A private detective is hired by the aunt and eventually locates the boys, but they find ways to escape him. The street kids are offered a great sum of money to steal something that seems rather trivial. Throughout the story, the plot makes two major changes and the last third of the book is completely unexpected and has a magical twist.

Critique:
This book was well-written and quite interesting; once started, it’s hard to put it down. Readers would find it easy to follow and the characters easy to distinguish. The book was originally written in German, then translated to English, but that causes no language barrier or difficulties for the reader. There are quite a few words included in the story that are in Italian. Those words are typed in italics and are also explained briefly the first time they are used. If the reader forgets the meaning of that word, there is a glossary in the back of the book with those twenty or so words in Italian and English.

Curriculum Uses:
This book shows differences in living conditions in the United States and Italy, especially the city of Venice. It is quite different in a city with no streets or vehicles, many students probably are not already familiar with this. This book also provides much insight into the lives of orphans or runaways. The majority of children have no experience with these issues and never will, this book can fill that void and educate them about orphans and runaways. The book also deals with theft in multiple ways. In some scenes of the book, the reader wants the children to steal, to ensure they stay alive. In other portions of the book, the reader takes the moral route and does not want the children to steal. This book could definitely teach lessons dealing with theft.

ALA Batchelder Award (2003)
The Zurich Children's Book Award (2000);
The Children's Book Award from the Vienna House of Literature (2001).

Translated from a German novel about a band of child thieves, a detective and a magical merry-go-round. After their mother dies, 12-year-old Prosper and his brother, Bo, five, flee from Hamburg to Venice to escape an aunt who wants to adopt only Bo. They live in an abandoned movie theater with several other street children under the care of the Thief Lord, a cocky youth who claims to rob "the city's most elegant houses." A mysterious man hires the Thief Lord to steal a wooden wing, which the kids later learn has broken off a long-lost merry-go-round said to make "adults out of children and children out of adults," but the plan changes when Victor, the detective Aunt Esther hired to track the brothers, discovers their camp and reveals that the Thief Lord is actually from a wealthy family. ( )

(MS Adventure) The Thief Lord is a great adventure and a completely engrossing book. From the beginning, the readers sense the real jeopardy the children face but also have reassurance in the kind disposition of Victor. All the children are distinct and their desires and fears help drive the plot. Scipio, the Thief Lord, is complex and sympathetic despite the fact he lies to the others. Lastly, Venice, herself, is the most compelling character, full of magic and mystery! ( )

The Thief Lord is a fantastical coming of age story. The fantastical elements did not come into play until the final third of the book, which was an abrupt change. The characters are an interesting mix of adults who are childlike and children who act as adults. The setting of Venice, Italy is a mysterious, magical place. I would recommend this fun, easy read to any middle school student, but boys might find it particularly engaging. ( )

disturbing Ray Bradbury borrowing/theft

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/20... ( )

A good book for middle readers, but after age 11 the writing style is a little too young. A touch of magic makes this book appeal to children. Adventure overflows between these pages adding to the appeal. A touch of mystery and intrigue complete this children's masterpiece. Still, I feel more challenging vocabulary could have been used, and the conclusion seemed to come out of nowhere. ( )

Richie's Picks: THE THIEF LORD by Cornelia Funke, Chicken House, September
2002

"'Children?' Victor looked up in surprise. 'I've tracked down a lot of
things in my time--suitcases, dogs, a couple of escaped lizards, and some
husbands--but you are the first clients to come to me because they've lost
their children, Mr. and Mrs....?' He looked at them inquisitively.
'Hartlieb,' the woman answered. 'Esther and Max Hartlieb.'
'And they are NOT our children,' her husband stated firmly, which immediately
earned him an angry look from his pointy-nosed wife."

Recently I wrote about food and nutrition books. On occasion, someone will
start getting all filled with awe when they hear about my diet since
college--no meat, no additives, no caffeine, no white sugar. But whenever
that happens, Shari will roll her eyes and make one of those noises of
disgust, before launching into her "Don't-let-him-fool-you" rap about how I
sure as heck have a sweet tooth, even if I don't eat white sugar.

(Shrug.) I plead guilty--Me 'n Pooh Bear would make a great team. I can eat
heaping platefuls of the honey and molasses-sweetened oatmeal raisin cookies
that Shari bakes for me. Give me those and a mason jar full of chamomile
tea--that's MY comfort food.

THE THIEF LORD is comfort food. Beautifully evocative descriptions of Venice
where the story takes place, a great cast of consistantly well-formed
characters, most of whom you come to love, and a tale that at first drifts
gently from chapter to chapter, like the little waves that lap at the rocky
feet of houses along the Venitian canals. But, while the voices may dance
softly across the page, this adventurous tale that centers around two orphan
brothers and the detective who is hired to track them down is quite cleverly
crafted, containing as many wild twists and narrow, unnamed alleys as does
the city of Venice itself. And then, just when you feel like you've got the
lay of the land, you zag right off the map.

THE THIEF LORD, which is already a wildly-popular bestseller in Germany where
it was first published, is an utter joy to read. It is another one that I'll
be impatiently awaiting the chance to read aloud to the family. If word gets
out how great this one is, Barry Cunningham, the man known for discovering
J.K. Rowling, may have his first monster hit in his latest role as Publisher
of Chicken House.

And, just as I once again made a couple of visits to Grand Central Station
during BookExpo in honor of Peter Lake, I now long to travel to the city of
Venice, that I may stroll through the Piazza San Marco, gaze up at the winged
lions, check out a shop filled with junk down some narrow alley, and then
spit in the canal for good luck.

Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy at aol.com ( )

I'm not sure what it is about Funke's writing, but I just cannot enjoy her books. This is the second one I've tried, after first reading Dragon Rider, and they were both, oh, somehow both sugary and bland.

I'm all about applauding the kids in The Thief Lord getting the drop on the adults, which they do constantly, but they pulled off their clever tricks so very easily. I never got the feeling that, you know, actual danger might be lurking around the corner. Dramatic acts were all candy sweet, and characterization had been bypassed for caricatures. Even a hundred pages into the story I really couldn't care about what was going on, which is either a fault of of the plot in being uninteresting or a fault of characters for not fostering my investment in them.

I still keep hearing recommendations for Inkheart, but I'm really not sure if I'll ever actually pick that book up. Yes, its story sounds interesting, but these other two were so disappointing that I'm very hesitant to even give it a try. ( )

This book was a good adventure in a wonderful setting. Part of the main plot appears to be borrowed from Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes", but this is a very different story.

It should be enjoyable to younger readers, although is not a children's book that is so transferable to adults I think. It nevertheless remains a delightful romp with plenty of action, adventure and intrigue. ( )

This is not a reflective book. Hardly ever does Funke linger to describe a lovely Venetian scene or zoom in for a close-up of a character's face (thus revealing his emotional state) - but. But the plot, the plot, the plot. I found myself thinking about what would happen next when I wasn't reading. The story line drew me along at a fast clip - and that makes for a very satisfying read. I wasn't sure where the ending was going, but I don't mind its fantastical twist. I won't remember the story forever, but while I was reading, it was great. ( )

I really enjoyed this tale of children surviving on their own. The sympathetic adults were reasonable and helpful, there was a bit of mystical fantasy (but only a bit), and in general the story was satisfying. I felt that Ms. Funke captured very well that yearning that parent-less children have for someone who will love them as a parent would - particularly children who have known that love before. ( )

"Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go"... so said Truman Capote. Going to Venice is like stepping into a time-warp. On the surface, it's ancient, romantic and beautiful, yet it is mysterious and there's often a whiff of danger from its history as a great trading city. Much of the paraphenalia of modern living is hidden from the tourist's view allowing you to wallow in adoration of this unique place.

This is the Venice of The Thief Lord by German author Cornelia Funke. It feels so Dickensian in time, that you are surprised when a mobile rings. Dickensian is actually an apt adjective, for the book centres around a group of orphaned children who live together in an abandoned cinema, looked after by their Faginesque young mentor - the Thief Lord. The two newest members of the gang, brothers Prosper and Bo, have a detective on their trail whose job it is to return Bo to the guardianship of his rich aunt; the brothers had run away as they were to be split up.

The first third of the book introduces us to the gang and their life in Venice which is hard, but appears a lot of fun. It takes its time to get going though, but once the detective Victor (who doesn't normally do lost children) is hard on Bo and Prosper's trail things start to hot up. Also the Thief Lord is commissioned to steal an object for a mysterious Conte, which would earn them enough money to live well for ages. They can't resist the job though, and things happen thick and fast with many twists and turns in the plot.

***SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT***
The novel up to this point has been firmly rooted in reality, but it turns out that the object they are looking for is the missing part of a magic roundabout which has the power to either age its riders or make them younger. I felt that the introduction of this fantasy element at such a late stage in the book was detrimental to the story, although it did then allow for very neat tieing up of many ends.

This was the first novel in my Easter kid-lit feast, and overall I really enjoyed it. As an adult it was an easy read but never simplistic. Aimed at around 8-12 yr olds, I feel that the slow first third (it's nearly 350 pages long) might not hold the interest of some younger readers enough to get to the real excitement, but the chapters are fairly short, so the frequent scene changes may do the trick. The main characters are great - I loved Victor the sympathetic detective with his pet tortoises, and Scipio the Thief Lord was really interesting. All the alleys and nooks and crannies made Venice seem very real, and the smattering of Italian in the text was well-integrated, and explained in a glossary at the back.

I would definitely like to read Funke's Inkheart trilogy, which are full-on fantasy novels for 10+. ( )

Prosper and Bo are on the run from their aunt and uncle who want to separate the brothers by having the young Bo live with them while shipping the older Prosper off to boarding school. With hopes of staying together, they flee to the magical city of Venice where they are taken in by a mysterious boy who calls himself the "Thief Lord". With the help of their Thief Lord they are able to reside in an abandoned movie theater with other young runaways - who they consider family and the dilapidated theater a home. Along the way we also meet Victor Getz- the detective hired by Bo and Prosper’s aunt and uncle to help find the boys (and by far my favorite character).

This story was such a fun, action-filled, fast-paced adventure! I loved all the details and descriptions of Venice. The characters were full of wit and quite funny. The story itself is well-written has the perfect combination of magic, imagination, and reality.

For those of us who love adventure, twisty plots and witty characters - this is really a treat. ( )

Young adult fantasy/fiction novel about a small group of orphans living on their own in an abandoned movie theatre in Venice. Another mysterious young man named Scipio, self-titled The Thief Lord, helps take care of them by stealing valuables and selling them for money. When two of the orphans’ aunt and uncle appear in Venice looking for them and hire a detective to aid their search, the security of the small group of friends is threatened. When the fence they use for getting ride of their stolen goods offers a special job to Thief Lord for mega-moola, he accepts and they are off on another wild adventure. Very well-written and enjoyable book that gives very atmospheric descriptions of Venice. Loved it! ( )

Cornelia Funke does a wonderful job of telling the amazing story of Proper and Bo, orphans who have escaped to Venice, Italy based on their late mother's fantastical descriptions of the city. Luckily, before Bo and Prosper freeze or starve to death, an already formed band of street children take them in and allow them to live with them in an abandoned movie theatre. Prosper and Bo soon learn that these children are cared for by a child close to their own age who calls himself "The Thief Lord." Between the forgotten items of tourists and the Thief Lord's grand theft adventures, the children believe they are quite well off, that is until they discover the Thief Lord has been keeping a very interesting secret from all of them.

Between dodging a detective their cold-hearted aunt has sent looking for them, trying to survive in the city while staying out of trouble, and discovering the Thief Lord's secret, Propser and Bo embark on an amazing adventure that changes the course of their future.

Cornelia Funke does an amazing job describing Venice in such extravagent detail that readers feel like they're there! The imagery provided brings the story to life, capturing readers of all ages. The characters are lovable and believable making readers want to invite them all into their homes by the end of the novel. ( )

I really enjoyed this book! It was fun to read about Venice, and it is great because it exposes kids to the Italian language. No one is who they seem to be, and even the villains are revealed to have a little heart by the end of the tale.

It is a story about five friends (4 boys and 1 girl) hiding out in an abandoned movie theater in Venice. Prosper and Bo escaped from their aunt because she wanted to separate them by only adopting Bo after their mother's death. They are taken in by the Thief Lord, who steals from the rich to support them. He is only a boy and turns out to come from a wealthy family. The group is asked to steal a wing broken off from an enchanted merry go round. In this book, children act like/want to be adults, and vice versa.

Summary: Orphans Prosper and Bo are on the run - after their parents died, their horrible Aunt Esther wanted to adopt five-year-old Bo but not twelve-year-old Prosper, and fearing separation, they headed to Venice, a city that their mother had always described as being full of mystery and wonder. They quickly fall in with a group of street children - pickpockets and petty thieves, ruled over by the mysterious (albeit young) Thief Lord. But even so, their lives are far from stable - their aunt has hired a detective to find the children, and the Thief Lord has accepted a mysterious and dangerous commission to steal something far more valuable than anything they've stolen before.

Review: It would seem as though The Thief Lord has it all: an interesting plot, lots of loveable characters, a vividly-depicted setting, some nicely adventurous escapades, more than a few chuckle-inducing moments, and a heartwarming message about the nature of family and home. However, it's clearly for younger readers than Funke's Inkworld series, so readers looking for more of the same might be disappointed - the sensibility's the same, but the story is less meaty even than Inkheart, and lacks the thematic oomph of the later books. It also straddles a weird divide between regular fiction and fantasy. For most of the book, I thought it was simply a regular heist adventure story, and then about 2/3s of the way in, there's suddenly a magical merry-go-round (...yes, really.) It left me at a point where I'm uncomfortable calling it a fantasy novel, because it's mostly not, but it also feels dishonest not to call it fantasy, because the the introduction of the fantasy elements are really jarring if you're not expecting them. Overall, it was a fast and cute read, with lots of individually good elements, but it just never entirely gelled for me - although it did leave me really wanting to go back to Venice. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Middle-grade readers are probably going to enjoy this the most, or adults who are looking for a light diversion. ( )

An Oliver Twist for the 21st century, this tale of orphans in Venice is a joy to read. Each chapter leaves you wanting more. The adventure, the intrigue and the humor make this a brilliant choice for avid school-aged readers. ( )

A friend gave me this book as a Christmas gift and wanted to see what I had to say about it in comparison to Inkheart. She said she enjoyed this one more than Inkheart but her friend enjoyed Inkheart more than The Thief Lord. I hope Inkeart is more enjoyable than this one. The story was ok but it took probably half the book to get even somewhat into it. Even after that it was not a book that I had to keep reading so I had to push myself.

I enjoyed the characters of Hornet, Victor and Ida. They were all charming in an unconventional way. The character the thief lord did not grab me as much and in fact was down right irritating at times. I understood that the thief lord did not happiest of lives but I expected there to be some sort of maturation process through out the book and he turn into a more reasonable person.

The story definitely took a surprising turn and definitely was not what I was expecting. There were amusing moments but not one of the better YA books I have read.

See my other reviews here: http://debbiesworld.wordpress.com/ ( )

Homeless kids in Venice form a gang. ( )

Glad I opted for this YA novel.