The Thief Lord
by Cornelia Funke
List Price:
Our Price: $4.36
You Save: $3.63 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.00 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Cornelia FunkeBrand: The Chicken House
Illustrator: Christian Birmingham
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2010-05-01
ISBN: 0545227704
Number of pages: 376
Publisher: The Chicken House
Book Reviews of The Thief Lord
Book Review: The Thief Lord
Summary: 2 Stars
When Prosper and Bo's mother dies, their aunt and uncle decide to adopt Bo and send Prosper to a boarding school. Unhappy with the prospect of separating from his brother, Prosper along with Bo runs away to Venice. In Venice, they meet a group of runaways who live in an abandoned theatre and are welcomed warmly into their group. The leader of the group is the mysterious, Thief Lord who steals from rich houses to provide them with basic comforts and necessities. As Prosper and Bo happily adjust into their new `family', they think that they have successfully eluded their aunt and uncle. But it is not to be so. Their aunt and uncle have followed them to Venice and are hell-bent on finding them no matter where they are. Can Prosper and Bo successfully evade the detective who their aunt and uncle have put on their trail? And who is this enigmatic client, who has offered them a fortune to steal something which is not even valuable?
The Thief Lord was one of my first Cornelia Funke books. Though I loved Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, this book did not have anything unique or new to offer. Though the story started out well enough, it became boring and predictable by the end. It is true that The Thief Lord is not a brilliant book but it has its plus points. The concept is fascinating and interesting. The characters are well-described and realistic. I could imagine the characters quite clearly in my mind by their description- I could see how they walked, talked or looked. Most of the characters were likeable, be it the caring and soft hearted, Prosper; the steadfast and loyal, Hornet or even the enigmatic and clever leader of their group, the `Thief Lord'. The character I loved most would be Ida Spavento, the quirky and weird photographer from whose house the children try to steal . The kindness and benevolence she shows to the children though seems a bit unrealistic, makes her the most lovable character in the book. Being an orphan herself, she knows how the others are feeling and feels their need for love and compassion. Even though the book has a great story, it has been told in such a dull manner that it fails to keep the readers attention for long. On the whole, the book is readable only for its plot and the bit of magic at the end.
Quotes:
"......Children are caterpillars and adults are butterflies. No butterfly ever remembers what it felt like being a caterpillar."
"........ Turning yourselves into children so that the adults could push you around and laugh at you again! Yes, I do want to take a ride. That's why I came to the island. But I want to ride it in the other direction. I want to be grown up. Grown up! Grown up!" Scipio stamped his foot down so forcefully that he crushed one of the little soldiers. "Sorry!" he muttered, staring at the broken thing as if he had just done something truly terrible.
Overall:
Not a great book but can be a good one-time read
Recommended?
Yes, to Cornelia Funke fans or those who like anything to do with magic .
Summary of The Thief Lord
The enchanting international bestseller with bonus back matter and a beautiful new cover!
Two orphaned brothers, Prosper and Bo, have run away to Venice, where crumbling canals and misty alleyways shelter a secret community of street urchins. Leader of this motley crew of lost children is a clever, charming boy with a dark history of his own: He calls himself the Thief Lord.
Propser and Bo relish their new "family" and life of petty crime. But their cruel aunt and a bumbling detective are on their trail. And posing an even greater threat to the boys' freedom is something from a forgotten past: a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.
Two orphaned brothers, Prosper and Bo, have run away to Venice, where crumbling canals and misty alleyways shelter a secret community of street urchins. Leader of this motley crew of lost children is a clever, charming boy with a dark history of his own: He calls himself the Thief Lord.
Propser and Bo relish their new "family" and life of petty crime. But their cruel aunt and a bumbling detective are on their trail. And posing an even greater threat to the boys' freedom is something from a forgotten past: a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.
Imagine a Dickens story with a Venetian setting, and you'll have a good sense of Cornelia Funke's prizewinning novel The Thief Lord, first published in Germany in 2000. This suspenseful tale begins in a detective's office in Venice, as the entirely unpleasant Hartliebs request Victor Getz's services to search for two boys, Prosper and Bo, the sons of Esther Hartlieb's recently deceased sister. Twelve-year-old Prosper and 5-year-old Bo ran away when their aunt decided she wanted to adopt Bo, but not his brother. Refusing to split up, they escaped to Venice, a city their mother had always described reverently, in great detail. Right away they hook up with a long-haired runaway named Hornet and various other ruffians who hole up in an abandoned movie theater and worship the elusive Thief Lord, a young boy named Scipio who steals jewels from fancy Venetian homes so his new friends can get the warm clothes they need. Of course, the plot thickens when the owner of the pawn shop asks if the Thief Lord will carry out a special mission for a wealthy client: to steal a broken wooden wing that is the key to completing an age-old, magical merry-go-round. This winning cast of characters--especially the softhearted detective with his two pet turtles--will win the hearts of readers young and old, and the adventures are as labyrinthine and magical as the streets of Venice itself. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson
Family Life Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Family Life Books
Little House in the Highlands (Little House the Martha Years)HarperCollins Publishers; Published: 1999-02; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
The Wandererby Sharon Creech
HarperCollins; Published: 2000-03-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.39
Price in other shops:
Ruby Hollerby Sharon Creech
HarperCollins; Published: 2002-03-26; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $12.34
Price in other shops:
Chasing Redbirdby Sharon Creech
HarperCollins; Published: 1997-02-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
What Do You Say, Dear?by Sesyle Joslin
HarperCollins; Published: 1958-01-21; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $13.91
Price in other shops:
Bread and Jam for Francesby Russell Hoban
HarperCollins; Published: 1964-09-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
Flat Stanleyby Jeff Brown
Harper & Row; Published: 1964-01-01; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Lily B. on the Brink of Coolby Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
HarperCollins; Published: 2003-11-01; Library Binding; Book
Price in other shops:
Septimus Heap, Book One: Magykby Angie Sage
Katherine Tegen Books; Published: 2005-03-15; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $11.65
Price in other shops:
Flat Stanley Audio Collectionby Jeff Brown
HarperFestival; Published: 2003-02-18; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $39.99
Similar Books and other products
Recklessby Cornelia Funke
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Published: 2010-09-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.06
Price in other shops:
The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics)by Ellen Raskin
Puffin Books; Puffin; Published: 2004-04-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.62
Price in other shops:
The Thief LordFox Home Entertainment; Release date: 2006-03-14; DVD
Best price: $6.36
Price in other shops:
Recklessby Cornelia Funke
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Published: 2011-09-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Dragon Riderby Cornelia Funke
The Chicken House; Published: 2005-06-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.44
Inkheart Trilogy Boxsetby Scholastic
Scholastic Inc.; Scholastic Inc.; Published: 2010-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.49
Price in other shops:
Inkheart (Inkheart Trilogy)by Cornelia Funke
Scholastic Inc.; Scholastic Paperbacks; Published: 2005-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops:
Inkspell (Inkheart Trilogy)by Cornelia Funke
The Chicken House; The Chicken House; Published: 2007-04-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.89
Price in other shops:
Inkdeath (Inkheart Trilogy)by Cornelia Funke
Scholastic; Scholastic Paperbacks; Published: 2010-07-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops:
Dragon Riderby Funke Cornelia
The Chicken House; Published: 2011-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops: