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Summary: ENJOY THE ADVENTURE, ENJOY VENICE, ENJOY THIS BOOK!
Review: This suspenseful tale begins in a detective's office in Venice, as the unpleasant Hartliebs ask Victor Getz 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 Esther decided she wanted to adopt Bo, but not his brother. Refusing to split up, they escape to Venice, a city their mother had always described reverently, in great detail. The book takes some interesting turns after the boys are found in the company of the Thief Lord... good book, worth reading. Also recommended is BOB-TALES, by Morgan, a book of fifty children's bedtime stories... super.
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Summary: Awsome Book
Review: This book was great; I have a fascination with Europe, and this book was awsome because it was like an inside look at Italian life. The whole book was real great, and the biggest plot twist was SO unexpected. But the reason it didn't get the full five stars was because towards the end, there were some occurences that seemed a little...too perfect. A little to unrealistic, if you will. But this was a great book! I told everyone I knew (that reads books) to read this bok. It was very good.
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Summary: The Colors of Venice
Review: "Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their cruel aunt and uncle. They decide to hide in Venice where they meet a boy called the Thief Lord. The Thief Lord has a group of small children with him that they meet living in an abandoned theater called the Star Palaces. Then they find out that a detective called Victor who is hired by the aunt and uncle is perusing them. Victor tracks them down and is overpowered by them. After that the Thief Lord is summoned by a strange count that claims he has a job for him! The job is to find a wooden wing that is hidden in a house. Their pay would be 5,000,000 lire! Later that night Prosper, Bo and every one else crept to the house and broke in. Suddenly the owner of the house faced them at gunpoint! The kids talked her into letting them have the wing. After that Prosper and the Thief Lord went to the island wear the count lived. When they arrived, they encountered two bull dogs and a girl. They are thrown into a barn for the night. When they wake up, they find that the count himself turned into a small boy. He claimed he took a ride on the merry-go-round that wouldn't work without the wooden wing. Scipio (the Thief Lord) takes a ride on it and becomes a man. After talking amongst themselves, they returned to the mainland and stayed in the house of the nice lady that they "requisitioned" the wing from a little earlier. The children came to join them then, and Victor escapes from the Star Palace and joins them." I think this is an amazing children's book that uses strong words and feelings to describe what is happening. I think the author expresses the emotions of what is going on by what the characters say to each other. It has an amazing story line and she writes everything without making it sound boring or dull. This book is truely in a class by itself! FIVE STARS and TWO THUMBS WAY UP!
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: I read this book after hearing some enthusiastic reports, and found that although some aspects were excellent, it was wordy, wandering, and unfocused. The atmospheric elements were quite well done, and some of the supporting characters were more interesting than those who were supposedly central to the plot....
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Summary: Good, but not for adults.
Review: I read this book on the recomendation that it was very much like Harry Potter. While it was well written and the story was decent, it was not as good as Harry Potter in that it is much more for kids. Adults will not take as much from this book as they will from HP. If you are buying this for a kid, I would say go ahead and get it, because the story is good and its a good read. If you are a grown-up kid, though, perhaps another book would be better.
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Summary: A terrific book for kids and adults alike
Review: I read this book aloud to my two sons, ages 7 and 8. We all enjoyed it on different levels. As an adult, I enjoyed the wealth of well-defined characters, from the older, slightly grumpy detective, Victor, to the pre-teen title character. There was well-paced action throughout, with an unexpected introduction of magic and mysticism at the end. And therein lies my criticism of this book. In no way was the reader set up to expect the magical elements in the book's final 50 pages. What had started out as a suspenseful, character-driven book had, by book's end, turned into a different monster altogether. It felt as if Funke changed directions on us. By the same token, the author also changes the book's focus upon just who is the main character. The title notwithstanding, Scipio, the self-named Thief Lord, was a supporting character throughout most of the book, with the bulk of the action revolving around Prop and Bo, as they attempt to hide from their aunt in the alleys of Venice. By the end, however, The Thief Lord is the one who goes through the most radical changes, thereby truly becoming the book's main protaganist. This fuzziness on Funke's part is problematic because we haven't truly focused on Scipio's relationship with his father, which is what is ultimately driving Scipio's actions and decisions. It almost feels as if Funke started the book, got about half-way through its writing, put it away for a year, and finished it in a totally different manner from where she had begun.
Oh, well... these problems notwithstanding, it made for a great read. Funke has a great book inside of her. The Thief Lord may ultimately prove to be its predecessor.
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Summary: Magic or not?
Review: I was expecting this book to be a magical fantasy, but it really wasn't. At first I was reading with a sense of anticipation, waiting for something magical to appear (and being slightly confused because nothing did), but as I got involved in the story, I really enjoyed it just as a fun adventure tale. I loved the atmosphere created by the runaway brothers meeting shady characters and lovable street kids in modern-day Venice. But then near the end, all of the sudden the magic appears. I was really thrown for a loop. Up until that point everything had been straight-forward and realistic, so I expected the book to end the same way. Up until the last page I was hoping that the author would remember what story she was writing and have the effects of the merry-go-round wear off so that the characters could continue their lives normally, but no such luck. All in all this is a fun book, and I really enjoyed reading it, but there was a huge disconnect between most of the story and the ending. The author should have woven magical elements throughout the book, or she should have tempered the magic at the end with reality. As it stands, the ending keeps this from being the great book it could have been.
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Summary: Not a Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket competitor
Review: I read this book based on the recommendations of fellow reviewers. It's a good book - it starts off very well, and the characters are well developed. The Thief Lord himself is a delightful little fellow, all swagger and bravado, but things are not always what they seem. The "Oliver Twist" portions of the story are well thought out and the setting in Venice adds to the mystery, but then the story changes to a fairy tale, throwing in mythology and legend, and totally throws you off your earlier expectations of the book. The "love story" section, thrown in just to neatly wrap up the book is also a bit over the top. A worthwhile read, but not awfully compelling all the way through.
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Summary: An 11 Year Old's View
Review: This book is an amazing adventure book that all ages can enjoy. Think about this story being about children runnning away and finding out a tromendous secret about their leader, The Thief Lord. You will have to find out your self about the amazing story that will unwind when you get really into this book. I as an eleven year old finished this book in 4 days but don't be fooled by the amount of time this book takes to read. You will be dumfounded by Ms. Funke's way of writing. Tyler, 11
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth it!
Review: This book starts out believable, but then ends improbably in a weird merry go round chase. It was too easy of an ending and not very interesting. Plus, side characters like Hornet deserved more attention. And, the main characters didn't really seem to act like kids...how many kids REALLY would run away to Venice? If magic was going to be involved, (and it's also weird to have it thrown in at the end in a world with out any other magic) they should have been sent there somehow by magic. That at least would make it more interesting. If you want to read a GOOD Italian fantasy, read Stravaganza, The city of Masks. While not strictly set in Venice, it's just as good and way more engaging.
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