Two orphaned brothers, Prosper and Bo, have run away to Venice, where crumbling canals and misty alleyways shelter a secret community of street urchins. Leader of this motley crew of lost children is a clever, charming boy with a dark history of his own: He calls himself the Thief Lord.
Propser and Bo relish their new "family" and life of petty crime. But their cruel aunt and a bumbling detective are on their trail. And posing an even greater threat to the boys' freedom is something from a forgotten past: a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.
THE THIEF LORD was the first of internationally acclaimed author CORNELIA FUNKE's novels to be translated from her native German into English, and was awarded the prestigious Batchelder award when it was originally published in hardcover in 2003.
New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book
USA Today Bestseller
Winner of the 2003 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for Outstanding Translated Book
Book Sense Book of the Year Award
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
ALA Notable Children's Book
NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Art
"A radiant novel...Today's young readers will probably love this book as they love the Harry Potter series, for its zany plot and well-defined characters. Splendid."--The New York Times Book Review
"An exquisitely told tale of adventure and intrigue...displays the kind of zest that makes you inhale a book in as few sittings as possible."--USA Today
"A darn good yarn--the charming tale of a band of urchin-thieves, a magical carousel, and two orphaned brothers."--Newsweek
"Funke's deft exploration of a timeless theme--the longing of kids to grow up and of grown-ups to relive their youth--should engage both yound and old."--People
* "Funke delineates her characters...with masterful subtlety, as well as sometimes-puckish humor. It's a compelling tale, rich in in
Newsweek - Alice Stroup
What is shocking in the case of "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke, one of Germany's most popular kiddie-lit writers, is that the book lives up to the audacious claim. It's got the magic, the adventure, the awkward boy heroes and the plucky chick sidekick. It's even been edited by Barry Cunningham, the man who "discovered" Rowling and published the Harry Potter series in England. But "Thief Lord" is also just a darn good yarn - the charming tale of a band of urchin-thieves, a magical carousel and two orphaned brothers. Written in German, set in Italy and now translated into English, the postmodern fairy tale was just released in Britain, where it sold out in 10 days. In September, it'll arrive in the States with the British vernacular largely intact. "You don't have to Americanize everything for children to understand it," Cunningham says. "I find that quite condescending." Besides, the whole European vibe sure worked for Harry.
Categories:
- Children's Books
- Growing Up & Facts of Life
- Difficult Discussions
- Runaways
- Fiction
- Runaways
- Difficult Discussions
- Growing Up & Facts of Life
Publisher : Scholastic
Author : Funke, Cornelia
Language : English
Edition : First American Edition
Published :2002-09-01
Number Of Pages : 352
Binding : Hardcover
ISBN-10 : 0439404371
ISBN-13 : 9780439404372
Item weight : 0.5 lb
Dimensions : 1.18 in x 5.79 in x 8.54 in
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