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Recommended by Margo, Bittersweet YA Librarian:
The Thief Lord
By Cornelia Funke
The THIEF LORD is magical, humorous, and full of suspense. The book takes place in the fascinating city of Venice. The reader will be able to hear, smell, and imagine this most unique of cities.
The story is about two brothers. Prosper is twelve, and Bo is five. Their mother has just died. Their Aunt Esther would like custody of Bo, but would like to send Prosper away to a boarding school. The two brothers are very close and do not want to be separated. They travel from Germany to Venice because their mother loved the city and would always tell them fanciful stories.
Their aunt hired a private detective to locate the boys. The detective loves disguises and has two pet turtles. The private investigator positions himself in a centrally located part of Venice and does see the boys.
Prosper and Bo are taken in by a few children who are living in an abandoned movie theatre. The other kids recognize the detective and lure him to the theatre. Working together they are able to capture and hold him prisoner.
The leader of the children calls him self the “Thief Lord” and is supposedly supporting the group by stealing items from the wealthy homes of Venice. The shop keeper that usually pawns items for the Thief Lord approaches him about a special assignment. The kids are supposed to steal a wooden wing from a private home. The wing belonged to a lion that was on a long missing carousal.
The suspense builds quickly when the children are caught stealing the wing by the owner of home. Bo and another child are discovered hiding in the theatre, and Bo is returned to his aunt.
Will Bo and Prosper be able to stay together in Venice, and where will they live? What is the real identity of the Thief Lord? Why is an individual willing to pay so much for a wooden wing What will it be used for and is the old legend true?
This is an exciting book with many story lines that will hold the attention of the reader from beginning to end.
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