“It was autumn in Venice when Victor first heard of Prosper and Bo.”

From Cornelia Funke’s The Thief Lord.

After running away, young brothers Prosper and Boniface have found themselves in Venice, Italy, and after some troubles, find themselves taken in by a group of street kids.  The leader of the group is orphan Scipio who steals from the city’s wealthy so the group can sell the items to Ernesto, a local, crafty store owner.  Scipio’s skill at stealing has landed him the nickname of Thief Lord and his notoriety also extends to a man named Conte that reach out to Scipio through Ernesto with a specific item to steal.  Trouble quickly finds the group when Prosper and Bo’s aunt and uncle send, Victor, a detective to Venice to find the missing boys.  A simple little mistake from Bo leads Victor to find the abandoned theater where the group lives and also the truth about the theater owner, Dottor Massimo, and his raised-in-fortune son.  Tensions arise between the group as information comes to light, but when both Scipio and the rest of the kids find themselves trying to steal the item Conte requested from an elderly woman named Ida, they form an uneasy alliance together and try to make the sale with Conte.  However, when they are double-crossed and split up, Prosper and Scipio must find a way to reconcile and work together before it’s too late.

The inspiration for the 2006 movie of the same name, this story is a magical and captivating adventure.  Funke’s story is full of interesting characters that are genuine, especially when placed in the highly descriptive settings.  The Thief Lord offers young readers a chance to escape into a world full of imagination and is not to be missed.