The Thief Lord

November 11, 2002
Jones's (The Devil's Own; Brideshead Revisited) deep, sonorous voice and British accent set the perfect mood for German author Funke's adventurous tale of orphans on the run in Venice. Though set in modern-day Italy, Funke's story could comfortably sit alongside Oliver Twist
and Peter Pan; she incorporates elements from both these timeless works as she introduces brothers Prosper and Bo and their cohorts. Having run away from their cruel aunt and guardian (who wants to adopt only younger brother Bo), Prosper and Bo find themselves in the alleys and canals of Venice, a city their deceased mother spoke of with adoration. The boys find shelter, sustenance and camaraderie via a band of child thieves, led by a bold adolescent who calls himself the Thief Lord. Intrigue, suspense and humor abound as the boys outwit, then befriend, a local detective and a wealthy dowager all on the way to discovering a merry-go-round with magical powers. Funke leaves a few loose ends dangling, but most listeners won't mind as Jones reads at a good clip, catching them up in the excitement of the children's exploits and the colorful surroundings. Simultaneous release with Scholastic/Chicken House hardcover.
Ages 9-up.

June 24, 2002
Wacky characters bring energy to this translation of an entertaining German novel about thieving children, a disguise-obsessed detective and a magical merry-go-round. After their mother dies, 12-year-old Prosper and his brother, Bo, five, flee from Hamburg to Venice (an awful aunt plans to adopt only Bo). They live in an abandoned movie theater with several other street children under the care of the Thief Lord, a cocky youth who claims to rob "the city's most elegant houses." A mysterious man hires the Thief Lord to steal a wooden wing, which the kids later learn has broken off a long-lost merry-go-round said to make "adults out of children and children out of adults," but the plan alters when Victor, the detective Aunt Esther hired to track the brothers, discovers their camp and reveals that the Thief Lord is actually from a wealthy family. There are a lot of story lines to follow, and the pacing is sometimes off (readers may feel that Funke spends too little time on what happens when the children find the carousel, and too much on the ruse they pull on Prosper's aunt). But between kindhearted Victor and his collection of fake beards, the Thief Lord in his mask and high-heeled boots, and a rascally street kid who loves to steal, Prosper's new world abounds with colorful characters. The Venetian setting is ripe for mystery—and the city's alleys and canals ratchet up the suspense in the chase scenes. Ages 9-12.