The Thief Lord

Title: The Thief Lord
Author: Cornelia Funke

What it's about: In Venice, Italy, there is a group of children who live by stealing. Prosper and Bo, two orphans running away from their aunt, fall in with these kids. The thieves are led by the Thief Lord, a boy named Scipio. At the time of the book, the Thief Lord has been approached to pull off a theft for a client in return for an amazing sum. Meanwhile, Victor Getz, a private detective, is hired to find Bo by Bo and Prosper's aunt. Prosper and Bo have to help Scipio and their friends commit the theft while avoiding being caught.

What I thought: One thing that makes me love a book is when the author loves the place they're writing about. The Kiki Strike books have this. Ananka lovingly describes New York. To Kill A Mockingbird does this, too, with Maycomb and its way of life. The Thief Lord paints a vivid and beautiful picture of Venice. Besides the lovely imagery, the story is well-told. The characters are all distinct and have their own quirks. As a bonus, the adult characters are very interesting, and I'm not just talking about Victor and Ida. Even the aunt is shown to be more than just a villain who is trying to separate Prosper and Bo. There's also a nice touch of magic to the story, too, and it's done so that it doesn't take over the story but rather aids it.

Overall: A very magical book that's worth a read.