The Thief Lord   by Cornelia Funke Chicken House, 2002 (first published in Germany 2000), 348 pages, ISBN 1903434777

How easy was it to get stuck into this book?
This book is set in Venice and is all about two children running away from home. It is interesting and although a really gripping read, it still has great characters and a good storyline. The idea of having it set in Venice worked quite well, I thought.

Who are the main characters?
The main characters are the two boys who have run away from home, they are Prosper and Boniface, and they are running away from their Aunt, Esther, because their mother has died, and the Aunt will be next in line to look after them. Other characters are Victor, a private detective living in Venice, Hornet, Mosca and Riccio, three children who live in a disused cinema, the mysterious Scipio, who supplies the children with food and money, and no-one knows where he lives. Finally there is Barbarossa, a dealer in valuable items who usually trades with the children.

What's the storyline?
Basically what happens in the story is that Prosper and Bo (abbreviated from Boniface) flee to Venice to escape from their aunt. It is here that they meet up with the three children, Mosca, Riccio and Hornet, who decide to take them in, and they also help run errands for Scipio, the provider for the group, who calls himself the The Thief Lord. However the detective Victor has been enlisted to help find them, so they all have to watch out. Scipio has also been enlisted to do a job for 5 million lire, but then the gang start to find out the truth about Scipio, that he isn't what he seems to be.

How's it written?
There are a few words in Italian, but they are all explained in the back of the book, so it's quite easy to read.

Other books by the same author that Tim knows about?
None.

The overall verdict is
Really good stuff

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