The Thief Lord - International

A group of orphans, a rather comical detective, a mysterious count and heartless stepparents are a few of the extraordinary characters in The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, a young adult novel translated from German. This story, set in Venice is a story of friendship, adventure, mystery and magic.

The story begins as Victor, private detective is hired by a German couple, Esther and Max Hartlieb, to find their missing nephews. Prosper who is twelve, and Boniface (Bo), five, lost their mother six months ago and the Hartliebs want to adopt Bo. Rather than be separated, the boys ran away to Venice, a city their mother loved and often told them about.

In Venice, the boys join up with a gang of orphans who live in an abandoned movie theater and survive from the sale of items stolen by their ringleader, the Thief Lord. The Thief Lord, Scipio, is a young teenager and is a mysterious character. He doesn't live with them, only visits. The group survives fairly happlily until two events occur that disrupt their existence; they are tracked down by Victor and they are hired by the shadowy Conte to steal an old wooden wing that is missing from a magical carousel. The adventures that unfold involve disguises, kidnapping and several late night boat trips to the Isola Segreta, the Secret Isle.

This book kept my interest until just before the end, which I foundto be very disappointing. It was unbelievable, and seemed as if there were just too many story lines to tie up. Despite this, I do think most middle school students would enjoy it, there is something for everyone. I also think students would like how independent and self-sufficient the children are. This is not a gritty novel where the orphans do whatever they must to survive, the children in the book engage in very little theft or illegal behavior and there are extenuating circumstances when they do.

The School Library Journal and Kirkus both gave this novel a starred review. As a hook, I believe a map and some pictures of Venice would be appropriate and this excerpt that shows Scipio to be very self-assured.

But just then, someone pulled back the curtain of the small window. Two eyes, round and bright, seemingly with no pupils, gleamed through the darkness of the confessional. Prosper shuddered and only after another look did he realize that they were glasses, reflecting the sparse light.

"One shouldn't wear a mask in a church, any more than a hat." The uneven voice sounded like a very old man.

"One also shouldn't talk about a theft in a confessional," Scipio answered, "and that's what we're here for, isn't it?"

Prosper thought he could hear a small laugh. "So you really are the Thief Lord," the stranger replied quietly. "Well, keep your mask on if you don't want to show your face, but I can still see your very young."

Scipio knelt bolt upright. "Indeed. And you are very old, judging by your voice. Does age matter in this transaction?"