SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
When Prosper and Bo's parents pass away their Aunt Hartlieb only wants Bo. So Prosper takes his brother and heads to the one place his mother told him all about, Venice. In the city he meets a group of kids that live by stealing and reside in an abandoned movie theater. Their leader is the Thief Lord, a mysterious boy name Scipio.
OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS
Prosper's one purpose is to keep his brother safe. It's important that his brother has nothing to do with any attempts at theft.
Bo loves exploring Venice and is happy as long as he is with his brother. But his growing admiration for Scipio may get him in trouble.
Scipio is the mysterious young man who wears a bird mask and brings the group various rare items for them to sale. Because of him they don't go hungry. But he may not be what he seems.
Hornet is a bookworm who takes the role of Bo's mother. She is also very fond of Prosper. She is blunt and forceful.
Victor Getz is the private detective who Aunt Hartlieb gets to find the boys. He is an odd person, who actually has a huge collection of beards so he can go into disguise.
PACING
The pacing is decent, because the story isn't laid out in a typical fashion. The goal isn't quite obvious. First we think it's keeping our freedom, then stealing an item, then it becomes something else. That helps push the reader along.
WHIMSICAL VICTOR
Oddly enough, my favorite character was not Scipio or Prosper, but Vincent the detective. I looked forward to his chapters the most. He was so odd and had a funny way of describing things. He never felt like a threat to the boys, and that was fine. There were other threats. So many of his reactions or views made me smile. It felt original.
TWISTS & TURNS
When reading the book, I wasn't quite sure where the story was going. At first, I thought it would be about the Thief Lord and his taking of a job. There's a revelation that destroys that idea. So then you think it's going to be about Prosper keeping Bo safe from his Aunt. But then the job is back on, but it doesn't lead to where I expected it too. I liked this aspect. Although near the end, it became more predictable.
EXTRA CHARACTERS
There are two other boys, Mosca and Riccio, who I don't really feel add to the story. The relationships are mainly between Bo, Prosper, Hornet and Scipio. They just aren't distinct enough for me to describe or important enough to the story to get a mention.
THE FATE OF BARBAROSSA
When the merchant Barbarossa impulsively uses the stolen item, he gets a horrible surprise. There is much time spent on fixing his problem. I knew almost immediately what this was going to be, although I had to wonder why I was supposed to care. This character was basically a jerk. Then I thought it was showing sympathy for Aunt Hartlieb, which would be kind of nice. But since we find out it all turned out terrible, I don't know exactly why it was so important, taking up multiple chapters.
THE FATE OF SCIPIO-SPOILERS
Turns out Scipio's father is a jerk and his home life is hell. So when he discovers the item that he was sent to steal could solve all of his problems, he takes it. He doesn't really think of the consequences. I kept expecting this to be undone somehow. The idea of running away didn't seem like a victory. I would rather Scipio had reconciled or stood up to his father. But I suppose this wasn't really possible, as the man was painted as rather two dimensional in his evil characteristics.
RECONCILIATION-SPOILERS
I wanted more scenes with Scipio and Prosper near the end. But instead we just see Scipio go off and get a job. It felt lacking to me.
CONCLUSION
Funke creates some likable characters, in the enchanting world of Venice. And their fondness for each other feels real and the adventure they get drawn into feel original. Even though I am less than happy with the ending, I would still give “The Thief Lord” three and half stars.
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