The Thief Lord

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Summary: Will steal your intrest!!
Review: This is a great book that I think everyone should read. The characters are really likeable and the plot is just fantastic. The book is about two orphans brother, the six-year-old Bo and 14 year-old Prosper. They run away to Venice Italy because of their evil Aunt and Uncle taking Bo away. Once there they meet a street and book smart girl runaway named Hornet, Ace pickpocket Ricco, Ace mechanic Masco and their leader Scipio A.K.A Thief Lord. The runway's are in trouble when Prosper and Bo's Aunt hire a detective to find them. There are also a lot of twists in the story that you would never have imagined. So for a great adventure and mystery book, read The Thief Lord!

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Summary: Ride the painted pony on the spinning wheel ride
Review: I think it's fair to say that Cornelia Funke is the German author most adored by American children today. Take THAT Thomas Mann! Her first work translated into English (and winner of the Mildred D. Batchler Award in 2003) was the much adored "The Thief Lord". Set in mysterious Venice, the tale follows the adventures of Prosper and Bo. Threatened with separation by an aunt who wishes to adopt only the angelic looking Bo, the two run away to Venice, Italy. There, they are taken in by a kid known as the Thief Lord, and his raggedy crew of child thieves. With Victor Getz the private detective on their trail, the kids become involved in escape and magic.

Funke has a lot of fun with this book, and it shows. What kid wouldn't want to run away to an abandoned movie theater to live with his or her friends? And in Venice at that! A city of pure mystery, surrounded by canals and winged lions. In this book, the author deftly captures the spirit of that beautiful town, as well as its history and inhabitants. Anyone with a child that has visited or will visit Venice would do very very well to introduce them to this little fantasy.

Sadly, the book isn't perfect. Many people reading it are saddened by the sudden switch in genre that happens almost exactly halfway through the book. Beginning the tale, the reader believes that they are following a realistic story of what could actually happen to two kids on the streets. Instead, the tale switches violently and is about a magical carousel and the human wish to be another age (whether older or younger).
Still, there is lots to love in this bubbily concoction. The characters are well defined and interesting. Scipio, the Thief Lord, is a fascinating creation. No child reading this book wouldn't want to meet him. And as for the detective Victor Getz, Funke herself has included a dedication in the front to none other than the actor Bob Hoskins (confessing that she believes he'd be perfect for the part). Who knew the Germans to be such Hoskins fans! The mind boggles.

Like her other American hit "Inkheart", Funke is quickly making a name for herself in the States. This particular concoction has elements of Nancy Farmer's "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm", as well as a dash of Charles Dickens's "Oliver". For those kids pining away for Harry Potter's latest, this book may well make them pine for the next Cornelia Funke novelette.

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Summary: the thief lord
Review: Imagine you are a young boy who has run away from his aunt and uncle with his younger brother to go to Venice, Italy. If this sounds interesting The Thief Lord is a great book that you should read. Its about Prosper and his younger brother Bo who travels to Venice and joins a band of children led by a young thief. They live peacefully in an old abandoned theater with their group of friends, but things get tricky when their aunt and uncle come to Venice and hire a detective to search for them. The genre of this book is fantasy but it is packed with action and suspense. The setting The Thief Lord is in the mysterious streets and alleys of Venice.
I liked this book because it had an interesting twist. It was never dull and always found a way to surprise me. It was never confusing or hard to understand. It also taught me about some of the Italian language. The Thief Lord is the kind of book that you can't put down after you pick it up.
This book is for anyone who like the fantasy genre. The Thief Lord has bits of the Italian language so it may be tougher for younger readers. This book is perfect for anyone who loves to hear an exciting story. I recommend it to anyone who likes the Harry Potter series or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It holds your attention all the way up to the end. Clearly The Thief Lord is a very interesting tale, that can be enjoyed by all ages.

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Summary: Good beginning, mediocre end
Review: The Thief Lord is a story of two brothers, Bo and Prospero. Fearing that their aunt will separate them from each other, they ventured into Venice, a place where many stories were told by their dead mother.

This novel by Cornelia Funke provides a good beginning, as Bo and Prospero make their way in the old-time Venice. They meet a number of interesting and colorful characters, and became part of an unlikely gang of "thieves." The twists and turns in the middle proved to be as excellent as the beginning.

A major flaw of the story lies in the end. Probably in the course of Funke's writing, she lost track of what the plot is really all about. Towards the end, readers will be surprised in the strange event that will occur. Furthermore, the "magic vehicle" will make the readers feel that there should have been more.

The Thief Lord is well written and can be an enjoyable read. However, readers must not expect the likes of Artemis Fowl or Harry Potter. As much as the book attempted to weave fantasy and reality, Cornelia Funke failed.

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Summary: The Thief Lord
Review: After Prosper and Bo's mother dies, their Aunt Esther says she would like to adopt five-year-old Bo and send twelve-year-old Prosper to boarding school. However, the two brothers refuse to be separated from each other so they decide to move to Venice, the place their mother had always talked about. After meeting a young homeless girl that goes by the name of Hornet, they are introduced to Riccio and Mosca. All three of these have escaped from home or from the orphanage and are now living in an abandoned old movie theatre. With the help of Scipio, the Thief Lord, they have enough money to eat and to clothe themselves. Meanwhile, Esther suspects that Prosper and Bo are hiding in Venice and she hires the detective Victor Getz to track them down. However, things start getting tricky when the Thief Lord is hired to steal something for the Conte, and Victor discovers Prosper's and Bo's secret hide-out.

The Thief Lord, a book written by German author Cornelia Funke, is a mystery book that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat during the whole story. Though many people compare this book to Harry Potter, I am tempted to compare it to Artemis Fowl, though it is, in my opinion, much more suspenseful. Even though the plot is a bit weak, it is nonetheless well thought of and Cornelia surprises readers' by revealing the mysterious Scipio's real identity. This book is very well written and is sure to please children that are around ten years old.

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Summary: The Thief Lord
Review: The Thief Lord is about two boys named Prosper and Bo. They are running away from their Aunt and Uncle who only want the little innocent Bo in their family, and to put Prosper into a boarding house. But he disagrees so he runs away to Venice, Italy where his mother used to tell them of wonders and magical sites in Venice. When the Aunt and Uncle reach the city where they believed the boys to be, they reached Victor. Victor was a detective for mostly animals, but today he got an offer to find two boys. The boys were being housed in an abandon movie theater with a leader of the group named the Thief Lord. The Thief Lord would do runs and steel things away from rich places and give them to the kids to sell to a man named Barbarossa. Barbarossa gave the Theif Lord a big job to steal something for a man named the Counte. But the Thief Lord has many secrets of his own. The Counte's object was very obscure and different. But the children get caught by Ida, but Ida is very nice and offers them a deal to go along on the trade. There are some very weird stories associated with this item. Find out what the Theif Lords secrets are and what the Counte and the Theif Lord are up too.

This book was very good, I liked it because of its action and suspense. It was also a very easy read and fun to read. It was also fun to learn some of the Italian in the book. The characters are all very well developed in it also which makes any story better. It shows us that we can make the best of all situations and that friends are very important. I would definitely recommend this book for who ever is into suspence and fantasy stories.

Rating:
Summary: Not too great
Review: I really got into the begging but put it down for a week and a half when I got to the middle. It get SO boring. The end is alright but I don't understand why it's so long. The cover may look interesting but really, trust me, it's not.

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Summary: Disappointed
Review: While the setting was richly described and the initial idea intriguing, the plot fell flat by the end of the text. I felt disappointed, both by how the story ended and by the lack of fully developed characters. It was unfulfilling, especially after such a promising start. I am hesitant to buy any other of her books; I would definitely recommend reading this in the library and not wasting your money buying this one. I'm selling it at my next garage sale. Save your money; there are better YA novels out there.

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Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: Lately, I've only been reading adult books so The Thief Lord proved to be a welcome change. This book is fast-paced and thrilling. It is definitely a page turner. The story is engaging and I love all of the references to Venice's monuments, language, culture, and history.

There are tons of fantasy and children's books, but The Thief Lord feels fresh and it doesn't seem to be full of cliches. The plot is interesting and has some nice twists, like when the reader finds out who Scipio really is. The characters are fairly developed. The writing is not the strongest I have read, but is interesting.

This book is great in the middle and beginning, but towards the end it gets a little dull and the plot falls a bit flat. I wouldn't be suprised to find out that Cornelia Funke lost direction or had to finish the book quickly. Still, Funke weaves an interesting tale, and I did find The Thief Lord very enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: The Thief Lord
Review: The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke , was probably the best book I ever read.
The setting of modern day Venice played a big part in the story with crazy canal boat rides and tales of its beautiful artwork and sculptures.
The book starts off with a detective named Victor who has a new assignment; two brothers named Prosper and Bo who were orphaned when their mother died. Then they ran away from their aunt who was supposed to be adopting Bo and sending Prosper to boarding school. There aunt and uncle believe that they are somewhere in Venice. Victor's assignment is to track them down.
Meanwhile in an old Venice movie theatre six orphaned children camp out, Bo and Prosper among them. The other four include a boy with hair like a hedgehog named Riccio, a dark skinned boy named Mosca, a girl named Hornet and the leader of the group Scippio called The Thief Lord. Together they live in the old movie theatre, The Thief Lord stealing jewelry and other things for them to sell.
All's well until the children meet up with Victor and learn a secret behind Scippio that will change their and his future forever.
The plot in this story is a great one with twists and turns along the way. Especially when they come across the mystery of the Merry Go Round of the merciful sisters and effect's them all.
The story has soft parts, thrill rides and mysteries.
Funke really knows about children and how they act. She really makes you feel for the characters and understand their thoughts.

The ending was both satisfying and disappointing. I would recommend this to ages nine and up. It might be a little hard for younger children. But anyone else I hope will love it as much as I.