The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, Oliver Latsch Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Thief Lord
Book Review: Almost the level of Harry Potter - great book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I rented this book, unabridged, from my local audio-book store as a recommendation from the staff. I am over 30, enjoy nerdy tech reading, historical books (bios/auto-bios), some adult fiction (ie First Man in Rome, Wicked, Bialzack and the Little Seamstress, etc), and of course Harry Potter (who doesn't!). I wasn't very interested in another kid's book - but this one was fantastic! Great charachters, great plot line - everytime you think you know what's going to happen, there's a little twist! If you like to read with your child or want to share books with them, this book would be a great choice. It treats the child characters like real people with real feelings - good and bad. Thinking back to when I was younger and what might have attracted me to this book would be the way the adult characters interact with the kids. Very good - and even though each feeling is not explained and explored deeply every time (like Harry Potter), it gives the flavour and allows some personal interpretation and insertion of the readers own feelings into the story. Great book! <btw - the reader for this book in audio format is GREAT! At the same level as Jim Dale -- might be good for a family car trip!)Book Review: Amazing New Book for Children and Adults Alike
Summary: 5 Stars
Twelve-year-old Prosper, and five-year-old Boniface (Bo), are horribly upset when their beloved Mother passes away. But finding out that Bo will be sent to live with his wicked Aunt, and Prosper will be sent to a boarding school is the last straw. The two boys, remembering all of the amazing things that their Mother told them about Venice, Italy, decide to travel there, where they know they will meet up with magical adventures at every turn. So, stowing away on boats, planes, and trains, the two boys make their way to the lovely country, where they are picked up by other orphans, who just happen to be pickpockets. Which is how Prosper and Bo meet up with the infamous Thief Lord. The Thief Lord is a clever, and intelligent boy, who loves making mischief wherever he goes. And while he is kind to the band of street children whom he takes care of, he is also harboring a dark secret about himself. Prosper and Bo soon find themselves on a fantastical journey around a strange country, just like their Mother told them they would.Cornelia Funke has created an amazing novel that is perfect for both children and adults, just like J.K. Rowling has done with the Harry Potter series. Funke has an amazing way of describing scenery, as well as telling an intriguing story that captures the reader in it's spell. Prosper and Bo are exciting characters, who are intelligent, and witty, and make street life seem better than it actually is. While THE THIEF LORD doesn't feature as many magical happenings as Rowling's HARRY POTTER series, it is very much on the same level in the sense of mysticism and adventure. A must-have book for all, as even the most reluctant readers will be roped into the adventures that Bo, Prosper, the Thief Lord, and the rest of the orphans experience throughout the book.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review: An ending out of the blue
Summary: 4 Stars
After the death of their mother, Prosper and his younger brother Bo, are set to be separated. Their aunt Esther only wants to adopt five-year-old Bo and send twelve-year-old Prosper to some far away boarding school where he would probably only get to see Bo once a year. Not wanting to separate the two boys escape to Venice, a city their mother told them had magical lions and great canals. At first life in Venice is hard, but after they meet a young girl named Hornet who introduces them to an orphange life gets much better. However Prosper feels uneasy since the orphange is funded by Scripio, known as The Thief Lord. Meanwhile, Aunt Esther has not given up on finding the two boys, as she has now hired the city's top detective Victor Getz to track them down. After a series of events, Victor discovers their hiding place and many more surprising turns finally bring to light the true identity of The Thief Lord.The Thief Lord is definitely a very enjoyable read. Unfornately a book that was suppose to be realistic was made into a part fantasy ending which didn't fit the book at all. Nothing in the whole booked suggested fantasy as being part of the book and the ending came totally out of the blue. If you get past the ending though you'll definitely enjoy this book that has is like a 21st century Dicken's novel.
Book Review: An enjoyable romp through the canals of Venice
Summary: 4 Stars
The Thief Lord is an enjoyable tale of a group of runaway children in Venice. Brothers Prosper and Boniface (Bo) have run away from their strict aunt in Hamburg and came to Venice, the magical city that their recently deceased mother had told them about numerous times. Broke and hungry, older brother Prosper nearly gives up as his little brother becomes ill, but then they fall in with Hornet, Riccio, Mosca, and Scipio, the titular Thief Lord, and the gang hides out in an abandoned movie theater. The mysterious Scipio dresses extravagantly in tall boots and a plague mask, acting far older than his young age. He frequently disappears, only to return in the middle of the night with food, blankets, and other necessities.
Detective Victor Getz is hot on Bo and Prosper's trail, even as the children are engaged in a high-stakes theft of a mysterious wooden wing. Normally, they fence stolen goods at the dishonest Barbarossa's (Redbeard's) shop, but with a reward of five million lire, it's enough money to last a long time. But the tightly-knit group comes apart as secrets are revealed about their leader, the Thief Lord, and later the group becomes splintered, with several daring rescues required.
A most enjoyable tale with a richly painted Venice, likeable characters (although several carry guns, one character drinks and another smokes, perhaps not the best role models for young children), and an action-packed plot with a dash of magic, this is a classic childhood tale of daring and camaraderie in the spirit of Robin Hood.
One small complaint: this was translated from the original German, and at least in the translation I read, there are several awkwardly translated passages and frequently misused words (anymore for any more, etc.), but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book.
If you enjoy the Thief Lord and are a fan of Nancy Drew, be sure to check out Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice; it's a lovely look at a virtual Venice perfectly suited to the illustrations in the Thief Lord.
Book Review: An exciting and enjoyable novel!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a suspenseful novel with the main characters of Mosco, Spicio, Riccio, Hornet, Prosper and Bo. In this book you will read about the mischievous, slightly crazy and suspenseful adventures of the Thief Lord.