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.

Wow! This book was well written. It all works...the setting in Venice, Italy, the plot, and the well put together characters. It includes suspense, loyalty, and mystery The plot: Twelve year old Prosper and five year old Bo are two close brothers. Their now dead mother told them a lot about the city of Venice, Italy. If they don't want to become orphaned, they will have to be placed in the care of their Aunt Esther. But she wants to adopt Bo, and not Prosper! The siblings fled from Hamburg, Germany, where they previously lived, to Venice because they don't want to be seperated. They make friends with Mosca, Riccio, and Hornet, other orphaned kids their age. They are in the care of thirteen year old Scipio, the Thief Lord. Scipio steals valuable things so he can provide the homeless kids with vital nessecities. The thief lord claims to be an orphan himself, but later in the book you find that this is untrue. Meanwhile, Esther suspects the children might be in Venice so she and her husband go to that city. When they get there, they hire Victor gets, a detective to find the boys. But is he too kind? Cornelia Funke has created a masterpiece I couldn't stop reading. A few notes: This book is originally German! It was translated perfectly into English. Some Italian words are used but the book contains a glossary. This is a compelling and superb read. Worth the price. Get it, now

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.

The first thing the reader must remember is that this book is NOT Harry Potter. Though fantasy, it belongs in a totally different facet of the genre. The fantasy in this is much more subtle. It is not the fantasy of creatures, wands, and overt magic. If your idea of fantasy must include these things, skip this book. It will disappoint you by its lack. However, if you like a fantasy where reality and fantasy seem to merge, you'll enjoy this one. The characters and plot are both entertaining. Unlike the Potter books, though one would wish to know what happens to the characters in the future, the book is complete in itself. No long sequels are planned or necessary. I think the most surprising thing about this book is how well it has been translated. Often, a book written in another language loses something when translated. Though I can't read the book in the original German, I can say that it reads well. It doesn't have the dry, pedestrian tone of so many translations. It is quick paced and well-written. As an elementary school librarian, I read a lot of children's books. This is one, however, that I would not only recommend to kids, but to adults who enjoy books with imagination, as well.

Since there are over 400 reviews previously posted, there is no need to regurgitate the story behind the book. This book is a fascinating balance of looming danger and exciting and mystery. Each character has it own interesting, well developed personality, which I find unusual as usually a writer only focusses on 2 or 3 characters and all the others are flat and boring. But Funke manages to get the reader into the head of each of the characters, an amazing feat. I read "The Thief Lord" after reading the Inkheart trilogy and really prefer the "The Thief Lord" more. It was genius to place the story in Venice, itself a place of mystery, doom, romance and great beauty. Another interesting aspect of the book is that the story could have taken place last year or 100 years ago, which carries out the theme of the book. This is a fast read, highly recommended.

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.

This book was great dont get me wrong but…it needed more action. the kind of action that makes you read faster and faster and makes you sad and want more when it is over! it had little action parts and just in general little action. if you are not into action this is a book for you! (but im most definitely sure everyone likes action! lol) also i like the consept of the story and the personality of the characters! ~a point of view from a 13 year old~

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 purchase this book for my 11 year old nephew. He read this book in one week and loved the story.

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 !

Das Buch wurde von uns als Englisch-Lektüre ausgewählt, weil es neben Saving Mississippi unser Lieblingsbuch von Cornelia Funke ist, unserer Meinung nach eines der gelungensten ihrer Bücher. Die Story ist mitreißend, die Sprache wunderbar. Das Buch ist in Englisch etwa ab B1,2 gut zu lesen, früher sicherlich auch, wenn das deutsche Exemplar parallel dazu gelesen wird und zum Nachschlagen bereits liegt. Die Audio-CD in englischer Sprache dazu ist ebenfalls absolut empfehlenswert!

O prazo de entrega foi um pouco longo. Mas chegou sem problemas.

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!