The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Audience: 9 and up

Rating: B

Synopsis:

Two orphans trying to escape their awful Aunt Esther, run away to Venice, Italy. In the city of canals, Prosper and Bo befriend a mysterious 13-year-old who calls himself the “Thief Lord” and supports a group of homeless children with his stealing. Prosper and Bo feel at home with their strange new family and are starting to adjust to their new life, until a detective hunts down their secret hideaway. At the same time, the Thief Lord is offered a tempting new heist, one that appears to be very simple and will pay them beyond their wildest dreams. But, in a city of twisting canals, narrow alleys, and spooky islands, nothing is as simple as it seems.

Chatter:

(Spoiler Alerts! ) This book is full of unusual and eccentric characters, and they’re what make the story so interesting. There’s Victor, who doesn’t seem to care (at first) about anything but his tortoises and collection of disguises. There’s Ida, who allows the children to steal her prized possession, agrees to take them into her house, and then allows Riccio and Mosca to leave again. And then there’s Bo, the angel-faced boy who everyone is working so hard to protect, and who, let’s be honest here, is actually a bit of a willful brat.

My favorite character, however, was Scipio. I find him fascinating. What motivated him? Why did he steal from his father? Why did he want to hide the children in his father’s theater? Since his father always told him that he was inept, I believe he took in the children to show that he wasn’t. Scipio wanted to prove that he was capable of taking care of others, and he needed someone to look up to him. That’s why he insisted that the children call him “The Thief Lord.” He was looking for approval and needed to be in charge, instead of bossed around. This is ultimately why he chooses to ride the merry-go-round; Scipio believes that if he can just grow up, then his father won’t be able to order his around anymore.

I did like this book, but I found that the plot took lots of crazy twists and turns. The part I enjoyed the least was when Scipio and Prosper were on the island with the merry-go-round. I just felt that the merry-go-round itself wasn’t developed enough. Why was it magical? Why was it stolen? Why was it given to the orphanage in the first place?

Questions:

Should Riccio and Mosca have gone off on their own in the end?
Did Scipio make the right decision to ride the merry-go-round?
If you could ride the merry-go-round, what age would you get off at?

Keep reading!

-Paige

Buy The Theif Lord from Amazon