The Thief Lord
Written by: Cornelia Funke
Recommended for ages 11 and up
$10.99

Take five young orphans living on the streets of Venice; add a whole lot of adventure and a touch of magic and you’ll find yourself engrossed in this award-winning book by German author Cornelia Funke.

Propser and Bo have just lost their dear mother and have hit the road in search of the beautiful city of Venice. Their mother had told them so much about Venice that they feel they are destined to live there. Unfortunately, their rich aunt, Esther, is pursuing them only to adopt five-year-old Bo and send Prosper to a boarding school. The brothers soon meet Hornet, a young girl who is living in a dilapidated movie theatre with fellow orphans. She immediately welcomes the boys into their makeshift home. The children survive with the help of Scipio, aka The Thief Lord. Scipio is a thief who hands his goods over to the orphans who in turn sell them to a pawnshop, owned by a man named Barbarossa.

Meanwhile Esther has hired Victor Getz, a private detective to track down her nephews. Victor eventually finds the boys while at the same he reveals a deep dark secret that Scipio has been hiding from his friends. Will the orphans ever forgive Scipio?

This story is jam-packed full of escapades, deception and tests of true friendship. In certain ways it is so far removed from our lives that it is fun to escape into this world if only for a brief time. Cornelia Funke’s latest novel is Inkheart.