[TQS]⋙ Read Free The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke 9781903434772 Books

The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke 9781903434772 Books

Download As PDF : The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke 9781903434772 Books

The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke 9781903434772 Books

The Thief Lord begins as a story about two orphans (Prosper and Bo) running away from an aunt who wishes to adopt only Bo. Not wishing to be separated, they flee to Venice, the fairyland of their mother's stories. They are soon befriended by a group of children--Hornet, Mosca, Riccio and Scipio, the Thief Lord. The Thief Lord robs from wealthy homes and passes the goods to the other children who fence them to provide food and other necessities.
At first, the book, though delightful, is rather predictable. Predictable in that I could tell what the "surprise" would be, though I wasn't sure how it would all tie together. Graceful writing and endearing characters kept me negligent of the fact that I "knew" how it would end.
However, about a third through the book, that surprise came and went and there were still a couple hundred pages left to go. From that point, the book begins a strangely magical journey that left me nearly breathless as the loose ends tied themselves into knots beyond my imagination. Sure, everything came together for the traditional happy ending, but. . . The getting there was the fun part.
The Thief Lord gets a 5 out of 5 for some of the best children's literature I've read for some time.


Tags : The Thief Lord [Cornelia Funke] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Aimed at children aged nine to 12 years, this is a magical thriller set among the crumbling canals of Venice.,Cornelia Funke,The Thief Lord,Gardners Books,1903434777,Children's & young adult fiction & true stories,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)

The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke 9781903434772 Books Reviews

I read this after my grandson, who will be 11 next month, told me how good it was. He is right!
The main characters, a group of endearing (but not always angelic) children, are absolutely charming!! Then there are a few adults woven in - some nurturing and some villainous. The adventurous story moves along at a nice pace and keeps you totally engaged. And a little bit of charming fantasy at the end. I was totally enthralled - what a lovely story!
This is the third copy of this book that I am buying--having loaned my first copy never to be seen again (the child I loaned it to loved it so much...) and given the second copy as a gift to another child who started reading it while visiting and got totally absorbed in the story--so she took it home with her 'for keeps'...
Funke writes well, and in this book she outdid herself--the story of Venice its architecture, its magic corners and old houses and mysterious past, all come to life through the eyes of the children in the book. Even if one never went to Venice, they may feel like they know it a little after reading the book... The story flows wonderfully, with just the right touch of suspense and twists and turns (pun intended...). Lovely.
I highly recommend it for children ages 9 and up.
This book is the reason i read to this day. I read it in middle school during the scholastic reading program. After finishing it i immediatly reread it then once more for the third and final time. It is one of the few books i was able to reread and enjoy as though i was reading it for the first time. It is a book that when my niece is older i will buy in the hope that it might do the same for her.
I just re-read the book before giving it to a preteen as a gift. The story, an orphan who is accepted by a street gang of kids rejecting the numbing insensitivity of life in an orphanage to create a family of their own, which must, necessarily, exist outside 'normal' society and often in confrontation with the law, is thrilling. But it is equally important, that it inspires reflection on the situation of the hundreds of thousands of forgotten homeless orphans all over the world for whom no orphanages even exist to take them in. What would, could you do if you found yourself in that situation? How would you find a safe place to sleep? What would you have to do to feed and clothe yourself when there is no way that is open to adults to do so without breaking the law.
I love the setting of the story, Venice, a city that is as magic as it is real. As a place in the story it is the real Venice, the bridges, plazas, streets, and ,for the most part alleys, do exist. So do the monuments, although not all of the palaces are real. The Venice in the story is the Venice known to the tourists, but more importantly, the Venetians' Venice during and in the off-tourist season. I have been to Venice about fifteen times and I like it best when most tourists have left and you can experience it not being a 15th century Disneyland. I find it even more magical in the rain.
In the final chapters the story slowly introduces the fantastic. I originally found that disturbing, because it felt as if the Cornelia Funke could not find another, more realistic conclusion. Reading the book a second time, it did not bother me, because in relation to Funke's other books, it seems like a first attempt to mingle reality with the mythological and the fantastic, most likely influenced by the books of Michael Ende.
The Thief Lord begins as a story about two orphans (Prosper and Bo) running away from an aunt who wishes to adopt only Bo. Not wishing to be separated, they flee to Venice, the fairyland of their mother's stories. They are soon befriended by a group of children--Hornet, Mosca, Riccio and Scipio, the Thief Lord. The Thief Lord robs from wealthy homes and passes the goods to the other children who fence them to provide food and other necessities.
At first, the book, though delightful, is rather predictable. Predictable in that I could tell what the "surprise" would be, though I wasn't sure how it would all tie together. Graceful writing and endearing characters kept me negligent of the fact that I "knew" how it would end.
However, about a third through the book, that surprise came and went and there were still a couple hundred pages left to go. From that point, the book begins a strangely magical journey that left me nearly breathless as the loose ends tied themselves into knots beyond my imagination. Sure, everything came together for the traditional happy ending, but. . . The getting there was the fun part.
The Thief Lord gets a 5 out of 5 for some of the best children's literature I've read for some time.