The Thief Lord

I just re-read the book before giving it to a preteen as a gift. The story, an orphan who is accepted by a street gang of kids rejecting the numbing insensitivity of life in an orphanage to create a family of their own, which must, necessarily, exist outside 'normal' society and often in confrontation with the law, is thrilling. But it is equally important, that it inspires reflection on the situation of the hundreds of thousands of forgotten homeless orphans all over the world for whom no orphanages even exist to take them in. What would, could you do if you found yourself in that situation? How would you find a safe place to sleep? What would you have to do to feed and clothe yourself when there is no way that is open to adults to do so without breaking the law. I love the setting of the story, Venice, a city that is as magic as it is real. As a place in the story it is the real Venice, the bridges, plazas, streets, and ,for the most part alleys, do exist. So do the monuments, although not all of the palaces are real. The Venice in the story is the Venice known to the tourists, but more importantly, the Venetians' Venice during and in the off-tourist season. I have been to Venice about fifteen times and I like it best when most tourists have left and you can experience it not being a 15th century Disneyland. I find it even more magical in the rain. In the final chapters the story slowly introduces the fantastic. I originally found that disturbing, because it felt as if the Cornelia Funke could not find another, more realistic conclusion. Reading the book a second time, it did not bother me, because in relation to Funke's other books, it seems like a first attempt to mingle reality with the mythological and the fantastic, most likely influenced by the books of Michael Ende.

Reasons to buy this book that have nothing to do with reading it: I just read an article about the Book Truck project which is a peer to peer literacy nonprofit that runs a bookmobile. The Book Truck gives away high-demand YA titles to teens who are in foster care, experiencing homelessness, or come from low-income families. Teen volunteers go with the Bookmobile and help with the book selections and recommendations. Cornelia Funke is an important supporter of the project and she bought the truck. Reasons to buy this book that have everything to do with reading it: Cornelia Funke is a very successful author of several YA series, including Inkheart. She can capture your interest and weave a story. This story revolves around two orphaned brothers who are living with a group of street kids in an abandoned movie theater in Venice. The richly detailed Venice setting is a highlight. The story improves greatly as the book progresses through adventures, complications, and dangers. The introduction of a mysterious, magical merry-go-round is especially fun. I appreciated that some of the adults were very good people. There are scary moments, thefts, and some high risk behavior by children, but it remains appropriate for young readers. There are also some moments of humor that would have amused my sons when they were young.

Bestselling German author Cornelia Funke is finally introduced to American readers with The Thief Lord. The story is set among the almost magical canals of Venice. It tells the unusual adventures of two brothers, Prosper and Bo, as they attempt to make a life for themselves without falling back into the hands of their horrid Aunt Esther. The brothers befriend several other orphans and support themselves with the help of a mysterious boy who calls himself the Thief Lord. Prosper and Bo think they are safely hidden until Prosper runs into Victor Getz, the detective their aunt has hired to find them.This story could not be set anywhere else. The canals and the less-than-logical layout inherent in an old city are vital to the tale. The genuinely magical twist The Thief Lord takes towards the end of the book fits in beautifully with the character of Venice. Funke has peppered the children's dialogue with Italian words, the meaning of which is easily inferred from the context. However, for anyone who might be confused, there is a glossary at the end of the book.The characters are likable, their worries easily understood. Aunt Esther is simultaneously horrible and understandable; she is horrid in her total misunderstanding of what children are like and care about, but understandable in that many adults do not know how to interact with young people. Esther is not a caricature of the evil adult because she is not evil, merely mistaken and foolish. The reader will both detest and pity the woman. While many of the events in the story require the children to be self-reliant, they do find trustworthy and kind adults in the end, giving the reassurance to children that there ARE caring and sympathetic grown-ups in the world.

I kept fluctuating between 3 and four stars. Ultimately I'd probably opt for 3 and 1/2, but since that's not an option, I'll go with four because I think it's more of a personal taste thing over the quality of the book.I'm a huge fan of "Inkheart" so had high hopes for this novel. I quickly realized the two have very different styles, and rightfully so, as this book is (at least I assume) geared for a younger audience.The cast of characters is delightful, each with their own stories and personalities, and you can't help but hoping the "good guys" win. The plot was interesting, but I did feel that there were two stories/plots going on, and that the first half of the book wasn't quite the same as the second half.Also, I'm not entirely sure what I think of the ending, the "messages" etc. Nothing bad, just I'm not sure what I think of it. I finished the book and still had questions as to the why, and what would happen - but, perhaps that was Funke's intent, that she didn't want everything neatly wrapped up. (again, back to the personal taste thing)I did enjoy the book, and was curious to learn how it would end. It wasn't predictable on certain plots, so kept me guessing.I also enjoyed the style of writing, the settings were vivid and it was fun to read a book set by the canals and winged lions of Venice.

I ordered this book last Wednesday, it arrived last Thursday, it was read by 2am last Saturday. A+ on delivery (I went through marketplace) and it's a testament to Funke how quickly I read this book, I practically devoured it. I read often but I rarely read with such a fervour as I read this with.The storyline is quite simple, which makes it nice for younger readers, but there is always enough going on in the storyline for the older readers to keep up. The characters are dynamic and engaging, and you really care for them by half way. This makes the end quarter of the book even more dramatic. Alright, so there is a pretty much constant theme of theivery and running away from home - But even though it's somewhat glamourised, Funke has been careful to make sure that it's not *too* glamourised and there are often reminders that it's not the right thing to do.The basic storyline is that two brothers run away to Venice, because their Aunt wants to adopt the younger one (Bo - Bonifas) and put Prosper into a boarding school. The two brothers arrive in the city and are soon picked up by Hornet, a girl who is part of a gang on kids who are in the employ of 'The Thief Lord'. They never steal (or are never asked to steal) themselves, but their leader brings them items that they then sell and they live off the profits. Everything seems simple; that is until the private eye that the boy's Aunt has sent to find them discovers their hideout and a secret about their leader that changes their view of him completly.One thing that disappointed me about the English translation (it's originally a German book, from a German author if you didn't realise) is that the poem at the beginning is left out - It doesn't add anything to the story line, or take anything away, but it ties in nicely with the later plot and well, it's a sweet little poem!I'm tempted to see the film - But I've been told that it changes the storyline, which would annoy me. The storyline doesn't need any changing!

Sent to my grandson in South Africa

I was first drawn to the Thief Lord because it was set in venice and we were due to holiday there. I was soon engrosed in the story . It is a good story for young and old alike. I have since gone on to read other Cornelia Funke books, Inkheart and Inkspell. Brilliant !

Thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved the descriptions of the area and I found it difficult to put the book down as I wanted to know what made the characters tick.

Unusual with a number of unexpected twists. Slightly slow start but great once the momentum picks up. Very refreshing in its differentness. A good joint adult child read.