Customer Reviews
The Thief Lord really is that great 
2008-05-12
This book starts out with two runaway brothers, Prosper and Bo, who ran away from their aunt and uncle who were trying to separate them. Prosper and Bo run away to Venice, a place where their mother had always told them to be the most beautiful place in the world. There they meet up with a group of other runaways, who hide in an abandoned movie theater. The head of this group, Scipio, AKA the Thief Lord is an amazing character. Soon they are set on the mission to find a magical carousel. All the while a third plot comes in with a detective hired by Prosper and Bo's aunt and uncle set out to find them. But Who is Scipio? What is the magic of this carousel?
Read the book to find out.
Wonderfull!!!!!!!!! 2008-05-05
The Thief Lord is my favorite book and always will be. It is outstanding and I could not find a better book. Nor could I find a better author. It has charming characters, dramatic outcomes and a spellbinding conclusion. A group of kids who either ran away from their parents or were orphans have a gang of thieves and try to get revenge from all their enemies. Prosper and Bo in preticular, their cruel Aunt Esther try to split the brothers apart so they run away and meet Hornet, a girl in the group. With a detective on their trail and a cheapskate storekeeper trying to snatch the lire out of their hands, the outcomes are undependable. With a Italian landscape and language, all this rounds up into a wonderful book.
The Theif Lord 
2008-04-21
This is an intriguing book that often has mysteries and conflicts that are hard for the characters to deal within the book. It is suspenseful and has a certain sense of adventure. i would like to recommend this to anyone who enjoys seeing what they read and have a vivid imagination.
Suspense, mystery, fantasy prevail! 2008-01-28
A little slow to start, but by the 2nd or 3rd chapter, this book captures your attention and makes you want to keep reading. It is filled with suspense, mystery, humor, and fantasy. After I read it, I had my 13-year-old daughter (who does NOT like to read) read it. She didn't enjoy it nearly as much as my 11-year-old son, but she did have to agree it was entertaining. Small print, long book. Best for accomplished independent readers. It would also make a great read aloud.
The Best Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2007-12-21
This is the best book ever because this book should have all the metals posible! I would have rated this book as a 100, if the rating system didn't go high enough.... Are you catching my point here? The Thief Lord is my personal favorite. Followed by Midnight Magic by Ava. On The Thief Lord topic again, it's a very good book and I hope that you will enjoy it as much a have.
Just an okay book. 
2008-07-20
This is one of those books I call an "Eh" book. It not bad, but it's not great either. It's okay. I LOVE Cornelia's books. But this one failed to excite me. It has an interesting plot... but starts off slow. Most people will find it difficilt to follow. I highly reccomend to watch the movie before reading the book. That way you'll at least have an idea of what's going on.
Worthwhile reading until the end. 2008-07-12
On the contrary of the "Ink..." books, this one starts slowly and one might need some help to keep on going. However, once in it, it is hard to drop. One problem adds to another. When one is solved, another appears. It seems endless. The characters are all adorable even when they turn badly. The end is as hopeful as realistic in its way. A story worthwhile reading until the end.
Claude
One of my favorites 2008-07-06
There is something so absolutely haunting about this book that capture me the first time I read it. Set in the romantic city of Venice, it tales the story of two orphans who run into a group of other orphans. This all stems from the rather classic idea of poor little orphans and evil caretakers. It's a plot I"m sure we all love, at least I do.
But the book does more than show them being cute. I truly felt for them and their plight, two kids on their own in a city of which their mother only dreamed. It then becomes a near Neverland--kids living in an abandoned theatre on their own rules.
Their leader is a mysterious boy who calles himself the Thief Lord (hence the title). It seems to be as much as a miserable orphan as the rest of them, but he has his own secrets. His story is made only more powerful by just how mysterious it is kept.
There is also an incredible and subtle blend of fantasy that comes in via a missing caurosel (It reminded me a bit of "Something Wicked This Way Comes").
But it's not just a kid story. There is a slightly goofy character in the position of a detective. Amazingly enough, this is a modern story despite all the fairy tale qualities.
This is an exciting and surprisingly poignant and emotional book that will speak to everyone.
An enjoyable romp through the canals of Venice 2008-06-21
The Thief Lord is an enjoyable tale of a group of runaway children in Venice. Brothers Prosper and Boniface (Bo) have run away from their strict aunt in Hamburg and came to Venice, the magical city that their recently deceased mother had told them about numerous times. Broke and hungry, older brother Prosper nearly gives up as his little brother becomes ill, but then they fall in with Hornet, Riccio, Mosca, and Scipio, the titular Thief Lord, and the gang hides out in an abandoned movie theater. The mysterious Scipio dresses extravagantly in tall boots and a plague mask, acting far older than his young age. He frequently disappears, only to return in the middle of the night with food, blankets, and other necessities.
Detective Victor Getz is hot on Bo and Prosper's trail, even as the children are engaged in a high-stakes theft of a mysterious wooden wing. Normally, they fence stolen goods at the dishonest Barbarossa's (Redbeard's) shop, but with a reward of five million lire, it's enough money to last a long time. But the tightly-knit group comes apart as secrets are revealed about their leader, the Thief Lord, and later the group becomes splintered, with several daring rescues required.
A most enjoyable tale with a richly painted Venice, likeable characters (although several carry guns, one character drinks and another smokes, perhaps not the best role models for young children), and an action-packed plot with a dash of magic, this is a classic childhood tale of daring and camaraderie in the spirit of Robin Hood.
One small complaint: this was translated from the original German, and at least in the translation I read, there are several awkwardly translated passages and frequently misused words (anymore for any more, etc.), but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book.
If you enjoy the Thief Lord and are a fan of Nancy Drew, be sure to check out Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice; it's a lovely look at a virtual Venice perfectly suited to the illustrations in the Thief Lord.
The Thief Lord 2008-06-09
This is an excellant book it keeps you wanting to read to see what happens.
