The Thief Lord was written by the German writer Cornelia Funke. Her inspiration for writing came when she worked as a book illustrator. She was did not like the way the stories were told, and decided to write her own. She also had a job as a social worker, and discovered what kinds of stories children enjoyed the most. Using this information, she wrote her books. This fiction book is intended for both the children and teens who love reading, or have not yet discovered the treasures it unfolds.

The Thief Lord is the story of two orphans named Bo and Prosper. Their aunt and uncle want to adopt the angel-faced Bo, but they plan to separate the boys, and send Prosper to boarding school. The two boys run away from Hamburg, Germany to the magical place their mother always told them stories about: Venice. Once in Venice, the boys are lost and hungry, and considering to turn themselves in when they were found by another orphan, Hornet. She took the boys to a hide out in an abandoned movie theater. She lived there with two other orphan boys: Riccio and Mosca. A mysterious boy called the Thief Lord had found all of them and taken them there. The Thief Lord was an expert thief who claimed to have broken into all of the noble’s houses and the museums. He would come and go in the theater with stolen goods for orphans, never spending the night or staying long. The orphans would sell the stolen items at Barbarossa’s antique shop so they would have money to buy food and supplies.

Unfortunately, Bo and Prosper’s aunt and uncle hired a detective, Victor, to search for them. After several schemes, the orphans captured the detective and held him captive. Due to the orphan’s carelessness, Victor ends up escaping. He leaves a note at the theater saying he promised not to turn the children in if they declined from participating in the Thief Lord’s latest mission. The Thief Lord had been hired by an anonymous person to sneak into a house and steal a wooden wing, belonging to a figure of a flying lion. The wing was so valuable to their client, that he was willing to pay 5 million lire for it; which is equal to $3,340.91.

Victor’s warning left the children with a choice: help with the robbery, share the money, and risk being revealed; or let the Thief Lord take all the money, and live in peace at the theater. Their decision could be life-changing.

After they made their decision, the result did change their lives. They discovered a long-lost magical carousel, and the Thief Lord’s true identity was revealed.

This book is a good read for children of all ages, but some adults disagree with it’s appropriateness. They feel this story is promoting stealing and disobeying parents. They also feel that the attitude of the adults, such as the detective Victor, is not appropriate. The adults tend to bend to children’s will, are easily tricked, and sometimes make foolish mistakes that the children must correct.I think this is a fun story, and a grown-up version of a fairy tale. Funke combines adventure and mystery, while creating colorful imagery of the city of Venice. I think this book is appropriate for older children and teens.