Rating: 
Summary: A Magical Journey
Review: The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke is a magical adventure that readers will find almost impossible to put down. This is a spectacular story about a band of street children, a magical carousel and a snoopy detective. It all combines into an enjoyable treat of a book.After escaping from their cruel aunt in Hamburg, Prosper and Bo flee to Venice after hearing their mother's stories of its winged lions, the golden cathedral, and about angel and dragons perched on the rooftops of buildings. When they reach Venice, they meet a mysterious boy who calls himself the The Thief Lord. He leads a band of street kids who make their living by having him steal thing for them. Meanwhile, Prosper and Bo's nasty aunt Ester, has hired a very snoopy but kind detective to look for Prosper and Bo. The plot only gets thicker when a very weathy client asks Scipio, "The Theif Lord" to steal a wooden wing that is the key to a very old, very special, Merry- Go- Round. But Scipio also has a very dark secret that will change Prosper and Bo's life forever. They soon find themselves in an unforgettable adventure in the city of Venice. Although I loved this book, I think there was a bit too much going on at once. But still, I highly recommend this book to anyone who might be intrested in reading it. I think Funke did an excellent job writing it, and I look forward to reading Inkheart. I recommend this book to kids ages 9-12.
-Lauren Henderson
Rating: 
Summary: Fairy Tale Under the Guise of Fantasy
Review: I have been a long time lover of epic fantasy and suspense novels and I must say that this was a bit of a disappointment. It started out good, with two young runnaways, a gang of child theives (modern Robin Hoods, as I see them) but as you neared the end my attention started to slack away as the novel started to feel an awul lot like a volume of Fairy Tales. I kept expecting pixies to jump out any minute! I will admitt that this book had its good parts. It was clear that it had been well planned and it was written well, the charecters were great (and the secret of Spicio came as a huge suprise, hint, hint) but if you are looking for an epic fantasy/adventure novel, look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: A Warm and Delightful Tale
Review: Twelve-year-old Prosper and his five-year-old brother Bo (Boniface) are orphans who want to stay together, but their aunt Esther Hartlieb, into whose custody they were supposed to pass, wants to keep Bo, but place Prosper in an orphanage. So the boys leave their home town of Hamburg, Germany, and make their way to Venice, Italy, where they are taken in by Hornet, a Venice street girl about Prosper's age, who lives in an abandoned movie theater with two street boys, Riccio and Mosca. The five kids are watched over by Scipio, the Thief Lord, who is also about their age, but who doesn't sleep in the theater with them. None of the children know where the Thief Lord does sleep. Aunt Esther and uncle Max hire Victor, a private detective, who soon finds the kids, and also discovers the Thief Lord's real identity, but by this time Esther and Max have left town, so he doesn't get to tell them right away. This is a love story on several levels; not just of the brotherly love between Prosper and Bo, but also the love of Renzo and Morosina; the love of Scipio and Hornet for the other children; the love of Ida Spavento for all children; and some others I won't mention lest I give away too much. Most of the major characters are complex and interesting enough for an adult reader to enjoy. If you are a parent of pre-teens, this would be a good story to read to them.
Rating:
Summary: Good, Solid Plot
Review: I enjoyed this book, however some adjustments could have been made. I believe the plot was very well thought-out, but the written content could have been expanded. I enjoyed it enough that I bought Funke's newest novel, Inkheart. Younger children (8, 9, 10, or 11) would enjoy this more than say teens. It has a nice plot, very original, but, like I said, the written content could have been expanded. I'd say it has a lot to offer book lovers of all kinds. It is mostly a fantasy, but mystery, adventure, and action are added to make it a very fun book to read. In conclusion, I would recommend this book for you to read. I can't wait to start Inkheart! Funke is one to look for in the coming years in children's literature.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Tale
Review: This story was really good! I loved it. It was interesting and had a lot of cool turns to it, that made me unable to set it down. I just had to read on. I would definatly recomend this book. Hopefully you'll like it as much as I did. But the one thing that I was really dissapointed in was the end.I think Cornelia Funke could have done a much better job to have the end of the story turn out better. All in all I'd say it was good, and you should read it for sure. Everything else is good in it. I give it 5 stars, for obvious reasons.
Rating:
Summary: venice is just right
Review: The detail discription of Venice is excellent. Enjoyed the wonderful artwork in the book. All in all "The Thief Lord" is a good read for anyone young at heart.
Rating:
Summary: Spazzer's Comments
Review: The summary sounded intriguing, but it was the exact opposite. While I was trying to read it, I felt that it was forced. The only reason I read on was b/c I thought it was going to be something more. While her style of writing doesn't appeal to me, I guess it is okay. Maybe some will enjoy it, but it will not be the next HP.
Rating:
Summary: Holy Moly! This book was cool!
Review: I think Cornelia Funke did a good job on this book. She made it kind of a mystery and an adventure all in one. She developed her characters well and my favourite character was Hornet.
Rating:
Summary: Long... but worth it!
Review: The Thief Lord is a book I did for my bookreport. I found the first few chapters a little slow. But this made it more suspensful. When a long chapter came I wasn't excited. Those long chapters turned out to be great! When I got somewhere really exciting I couldn't put the book down! I liked the style used to write this book. It may be long... but it's worth it!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: charming modern day orphan adventure
Review: Set in present-day Venice in a Dickensian world of child thieves, this story of two brothers trying to escape their aunt and a detective evokes magic and the 19th century. Completely charming mix of worlds and world-views. Any kid would like this. Ages 10+
| 
