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471 pages
First published January 1, 2000
1246 people are currently reading
35101 people want to read
About the author
Cornelia Funke
440?books13.8k?followersCornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German illustrator and storyteller, who writes fantasy for all ages of readers. Amongst her best known books is the Inkheart trilogy. Many of Cornelia's titles are published all over the world and translated into more than 30 languages. She has two children, two birds and a very old dog and lives in Los Angeles, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,742 reviews
January 16, 2017
THIS IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE BOOKS!
I love the characters, the world, the story. Scipio was like one of my first book crushes lmao. Seriously, this book is so exciting and fun and has such a great cast of characters who all have such genuine, important friendships and it's magical and beautiful could not recommend it highly enough.
It's like Six of Crows except they live in a movie theatre and they are all like 12
KINDA wanna reread it again now its just the BEST
I love the characters, the world, the story. Scipio was like one of my first book crushes lmao. Seriously, this book is so exciting and fun and has such a great cast of characters who all have such genuine, important friendships and it's magical and beautiful could not recommend it highly enough.
It's like Six of Crows except they live in a movie theatre and they are all like 12
KINDA wanna reread it again now its just the BEST
February 20, 2013
I've read more books than I remember. From the classy literature books (the classics) to the crummy excuses of children's novels thrown into the public libraries to con young readers into believing that they possess quality my reading has been deep and varied. Yet there are some novels I read as a child that impacted me enough to cause me to read them over again. The Thief Lord is one of those books.
What is The Thief Lord? It is a fantasy tale and an adventure story combined and set in modern Venice. The story follows two brothers who have run away to Venice and end up in the company of a group of juvenile thieves living in an abandoned cinema. At least they appear to be thieves to begin with. As one reads on one realises that perhaps these thieves are not quite the rogues they would have you believe. Which all leads into the job they are asked to do with their leader, the masked Thief Lord, at their head. They are asked to recover a magical artefact for a particular rich individual with no proper knowledge of what this artefact could do. The assignment and the squabbles within the group, added to the hidden secret of the Thief Lord lead to a fascinating conclusion.
This book, as I reflect, is essentially about the idea of empowerment as linked to age. The children within this book feel entrapped by the very fact that they are minors within society. In order to gain power the two brothers run away and the group of thieves hide out in the abandoned cinema away from the confines of the law. Hence the book proposes that children are far more capable than society seems to realise and that at times laws designed to protect appear to entangle.
This is one of those children's novels I would recommend for future generations as a fun and interesting fairytale type of novel. Would I go back and re-read it? Probably not at this stage as I would not want to ruin the childhood magic of this novel.
January 18, 2019
Twelve-year-old Prosper and his little brother, Bo (short for Boniface), live with their friends in an abandoned movie theater deep in Venice. The brothers are fleeing from an uncaring aunt who would keep Bo at her side like a lapdog and send Prosper to a faraway boarding school. Their roommates—Hornet, Mosca, and Riccio,—are homeless kids with nowhere else to go. They survive by stealing food and picking pockets.
The leader of their little group is named Scipio. His living quarters are unknown. He provides the others with blankets and other necessities, and delights them with the treasures that he steals. For Scipio is a thief—the self-proclaimed “Thief Lord” who has developed a fearsome reputation for himself in the city’s underworld. Everyone also assumes that the Thief Lord is an adult, not the scrawny twelve-year-old mincing about the rooftops in a plague doctor mask.
One fateful day, a mysterious Comte offers Scipio a job that would make him a legend, with ramifications that neither he nor any of his crew have any idea of. When the heist collides with Aunt Esther’s quest for Bo and the crisis Scipio is running away from, some of these children will be faced with choices that will determine the rest of their lives.
Content Advisory
Violence: Characteristic of Funke, there’s some startling violent images here—i.e. the kids threatening to shoot Victor with his own gun, or Morosina pondering having her dogs tear the boys to pieces. No actual gore. .
Sex: Absolutely nothing.
Language: Squeaky clean. This is a book where supposedly gritty adult characters say “darn” and “heck” with no children present. (I wonder if this was license on the translator’s part. This translation is by Oliver Latsch, not Anthea Bell, who translated the Inkheart series, where the word “damn” was used as punctuation).
Substance Abuse: Ida smokes. Everyone thinks it’s gross, including the characters living in an abandoned building which cannot have been particularly clean.
Nightmare Fuel:
Politics and Religion: Riccio offers to disguise Prosper by “painting [him] black like Mosca” (this does not happen and I don’t think any larger statement was meant, but still, as an American it’s a bit cringey).
Conclusions
The Thief Lord features a strong atmosphere, a fascinating supernatural element, and an intriguing title character. Unfortunately, the atmosphere doesn’t always match the plot, the supernatural element isn’t even hinted at until halfway through the book, and the title character plays second fiddle to a rather bland protagonist and a colorful supporting cast member who doesn’t fit the mood of the piece.
A Venetian setting will always make a book interesting. There’s something about winged lions and mermaids and masques and gondolas and canals full of deep, dark water that draws me in every time. In The Thief Lord, the setting is a character, and this definitely works in its favor. The movie theater where the kids live is like Venice itself in miniature: ancient, grimy, secretive, and somehow still starry and magical.
Scipio fits into this environment seamlessly for most of the story. He’s like a cat, charismatic and glamorous and self-sufficient and disappearing for long periods of time. Yet like all characters who wear a mask, we know that he struggles with self-loathing, and the part of his life hidden from his friends is probably highly disagreeable. All this turns out to be true about him; Funke never examines his dysfunctional home life in any great depth, but that’s forgivable in a middle-grade book, especially one like this with one foot in reality and the other in the land of magic.
.
This whole theme of youth and age is pretty deep. I found it intriguing that the Comte and his sister apparently never got over watching their employers’ children playing while they had to work—they find the key to regaining their youth and the first thing they do is take over the old manor. They play with the rich-kid toys they used to envy, and even that doesn’t make them happy. There’s Barbarossa, who seems to have been stuck in the intense selfishness of a five-year-old. His punishment is pure nightmare fuel, but fitting. Then there’s Aunt Esther, who wants Bo to stop aging at six, and has no use for Prosper because he needs guidance more than hugs and is no longer cute.
I just wish that the first half of the book had featured these themes, and the element of magic. As is, the first half was mostly Victor donning bad disguises, walking into obvious set-ups, and fussing over his tortoises. I found Victor adorable, by himself and with his perfect match, Ida. But starting the book off like that makes it seem goofier and lower-stakes than I think Funke intended.
The magical element also sprang up out of nowhere, without even a hint. All we needed was a brief flicker of it—one of the St. Mark’s Lions around the city could come to life for a few seconds, or one of the kids could glimpse a mermaid or merman in a canal. Maybe there’s a location in the city where time freezes or accelerates or goes backwards, foreshadowing the pivotal event of the novel. The way it was executed, it was jarring—like if the Baudelaire kids in A Series of Unfortunate Events had learned that that Sugar Bowl everyone was fighting over could make its owner invisible. I don’t mind surprises, but it’s nice when the genre of a book is clear and consistent throughout.
Finally, I found the lack of empathy displayed by the children (and some of the adults) in the book downright alarming—understandable, but still not the traits you’d want in a hero. The kids, Bo and Mosca largely excepted, are all rotten to Victor when they first meet him—much more rotten than their situation actually requires. And while I can’t blame them for this, everyone seems delighted with what happened to Barbarossa. He’s horrid, but it’s still bad form to jeer at him in his reduced state. I had this problem with Inkheart, too—even the usually good kids have many moments of being startlingly bratty.
This book is harmless fun. This is the first time I’ve read it, but I know that the eleven-year-old me would have been beguiled by the Venetian setting and fallen in love with Scipio, the pre-teen Byronic hero. It flew by and kept me up late turning pages. I think many of you will like it too.
The leader of their little group is named Scipio. His living quarters are unknown. He provides the others with blankets and other necessities, and delights them with the treasures that he steals. For Scipio is a thief—the self-proclaimed “Thief Lord” who has developed a fearsome reputation for himself in the city’s underworld. Everyone also assumes that the Thief Lord is an adult, not the scrawny twelve-year-old mincing about the rooftops in a plague doctor mask.
One fateful day, a mysterious Comte offers Scipio a job that would make him a legend, with ramifications that neither he nor any of his crew have any idea of. When the heist collides with Aunt Esther’s quest for Bo and the crisis Scipio is running away from, some of these children will be faced with choices that will determine the rest of their lives.
Content Advisory
Violence: Characteristic of Funke, there’s some startling violent images here—i.e. the kids threatening to shoot Victor with his own gun, or Morosina pondering having her dogs tear the boys to pieces. No actual gore. .
Sex: Absolutely nothing.
Language: Squeaky clean. This is a book where supposedly gritty adult characters say “darn” and “heck” with no children present. (I wonder if this was license on the translator’s part. This translation is by Oliver Latsch, not Anthea Bell, who translated the Inkheart series, where the word “damn” was used as punctuation).
Substance Abuse: Ida smokes. Everyone thinks it’s gross, including the characters living in an abandoned building which cannot have been particularly clean.
Nightmare Fuel:
Politics and Religion: Riccio offers to disguise Prosper by “painting [him] black like Mosca” (this does not happen and I don’t think any larger statement was meant, but still, as an American it’s a bit cringey).
Conclusions
The Thief Lord features a strong atmosphere, a fascinating supernatural element, and an intriguing title character. Unfortunately, the atmosphere doesn’t always match the plot, the supernatural element isn’t even hinted at until halfway through the book, and the title character plays second fiddle to a rather bland protagonist and a colorful supporting cast member who doesn’t fit the mood of the piece.
A Venetian setting will always make a book interesting. There’s something about winged lions and mermaids and masques and gondolas and canals full of deep, dark water that draws me in every time. In The Thief Lord, the setting is a character, and this definitely works in its favor. The movie theater where the kids live is like Venice itself in miniature: ancient, grimy, secretive, and somehow still starry and magical.
Scipio fits into this environment seamlessly for most of the story. He’s like a cat, charismatic and glamorous and self-sufficient and disappearing for long periods of time. Yet like all characters who wear a mask, we know that he struggles with self-loathing, and the part of his life hidden from his friends is probably highly disagreeable. All this turns out to be true about him; Funke never examines his dysfunctional home life in any great depth, but that’s forgivable in a middle-grade book, especially one like this with one foot in reality and the other in the land of magic.
.
This whole theme of youth and age is pretty deep. I found it intriguing that the Comte and his sister apparently never got over watching their employers’ children playing while they had to work—they find the key to regaining their youth and the first thing they do is take over the old manor. They play with the rich-kid toys they used to envy, and even that doesn’t make them happy. There’s Barbarossa, who seems to have been stuck in the intense selfishness of a five-year-old. His punishment is pure nightmare fuel, but fitting. Then there’s Aunt Esther, who wants Bo to stop aging at six, and has no use for Prosper because he needs guidance more than hugs and is no longer cute.
I just wish that the first half of the book had featured these themes, and the element of magic. As is, the first half was mostly Victor donning bad disguises, walking into obvious set-ups, and fussing over his tortoises. I found Victor adorable, by himself and with his perfect match, Ida. But starting the book off like that makes it seem goofier and lower-stakes than I think Funke intended.
The magical element also sprang up out of nowhere, without even a hint. All we needed was a brief flicker of it—one of the St. Mark’s Lions around the city could come to life for a few seconds, or one of the kids could glimpse a mermaid or merman in a canal. Maybe there’s a location in the city where time freezes or accelerates or goes backwards, foreshadowing the pivotal event of the novel. The way it was executed, it was jarring—like if the Baudelaire kids in A Series of Unfortunate Events had learned that that Sugar Bowl everyone was fighting over could make its owner invisible. I don’t mind surprises, but it’s nice when the genre of a book is clear and consistent throughout.
Finally, I found the lack of empathy displayed by the children (and some of the adults) in the book downright alarming—understandable, but still not the traits you’d want in a hero. The kids, Bo and Mosca largely excepted, are all rotten to Victor when they first meet him—much more rotten than their situation actually requires. And while I can’t blame them for this, everyone seems delighted with what happened to Barbarossa. He’s horrid, but it’s still bad form to jeer at him in his reduced state. I had this problem with Inkheart, too—even the usually good kids have many moments of being startlingly bratty.
This book is harmless fun. This is the first time I’ve read it, but I know that the eleven-year-old me would have been beguiled by the Venetian setting and fallen in love with Scipio, the pre-teen Byronic hero. It flew by and kept me up late turning pages. I think many of you will like it too.
December 1, 2017
My Video Review:
December 10, 2008
SPOILER ALERT
I hate hate hate it when a book introduces magic 3/4ths of the way through! I like fantasy, thats not the problem. But the ordinary people are supposed to discover the magic at the beginning of the book. You know, the children run through a mysterious old house in the country, hide in a wardrobe, and bam! they're in Narnia. Perfect. Don't try and tell me a realistic story and then suddenly change/solve everything with magic that the characters just accept and move on. I was adoring this book until that point.
I hate hate hate it when a book introduces magic 3/4ths of the way through! I like fantasy, thats not the problem. But the ordinary people are supposed to discover the magic at the beginning of the book. You know, the children run through a mysterious old house in the country, hide in a wardrobe, and bam! they're in Narnia. Perfect. Don't try and tell me a realistic story and then suddenly change/solve everything with magic that the characters just accept and move on. I was adoring this book until that point.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2017
Herr der Diebe = The Thief Lord, Cornelia Funke
The Thief Lord is a children's novel written by Cornelia Funke. It was published in Germany in 2000 and translated into English by Oliver Latsch in 2002 for The Chicken House, a division of Scholastic publishing company. It was also adapted into a film in 2006.
The Thief Lord follows the story of brothers, Prosper and Boniface (Bo), who run away to Venice, Italy. They are taken in by a group of street children who live in an abandoned movie theater - the Stella, and are led by a proud orphan named Scipio. He appears to steal valuables and the orphan group sells them to a sly shopkeeper, Ernesto Barbarossa. A customer of Barbarossa, calling himself the Conte, asks the "Thief Lord" to steal a wooden lion's wing for him. The runaway boys' aunt and uncle figure out where they are and set a detective, Victor Getz, on their trail. Victor recognizes the boys on the street and manages to initiate a conversation with innocent little Bo. Bo accidentally lets slip that he lives in an old movie theater. When the rest of the children see Victor, they cause a distraction and run away, taking his wallet with them. In his search for the theater, Victor visits the home of Dottor Massimo, the owner of the Stella, where he sees Scipio, who is actually the son of the rich Dottore. ...
???????: ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???????: ??????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?????: ????? ??? ??????? ??? 2011 ??????
?????: ??? ???? ???????: ??????? ?????? ?????: ?????? ???????? ?????? ???? 1383? ?? 467 ?? ????? ??? ??? 1385? ??? ??? 1387? ????: 9789643691455? ?????: ????????? ????????? ?????? - ??? 21 ?
?????: ????? ?????? ???????: ??????? ?????? ?????: ????? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? 1388? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??? 1: 9789643497026? ???? ??? 2: 9789643497033?
?? ????? ?????? ? ??? ????? ? ??????? ??? ? ???????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ???. ????? ?? ???? ????? ? ???? ????? ? ??? ??? ???????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ????????. ??????? ????? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???. ??? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????????... ? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ?????? ???? ... ?. ???????
The Thief Lord is a children's novel written by Cornelia Funke. It was published in Germany in 2000 and translated into English by Oliver Latsch in 2002 for The Chicken House, a division of Scholastic publishing company. It was also adapted into a film in 2006.
The Thief Lord follows the story of brothers, Prosper and Boniface (Bo), who run away to Venice, Italy. They are taken in by a group of street children who live in an abandoned movie theater - the Stella, and are led by a proud orphan named Scipio. He appears to steal valuables and the orphan group sells them to a sly shopkeeper, Ernesto Barbarossa. A customer of Barbarossa, calling himself the Conte, asks the "Thief Lord" to steal a wooden lion's wing for him. The runaway boys' aunt and uncle figure out where they are and set a detective, Victor Getz, on their trail. Victor recognizes the boys on the street and manages to initiate a conversation with innocent little Bo. Bo accidentally lets slip that he lives in an old movie theater. When the rest of the children see Victor, they cause a distraction and run away, taking his wallet with them. In his search for the theater, Victor visits the home of Dottor Massimo, the owner of the Stella, where he sees Scipio, who is actually the son of the rich Dottore. ...
???????: ????? ?????? ??? ???? ???????: ??????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?????: ????? ??? ??????? ??? 2011 ??????
?????: ??? ???? ???????: ??????? ?????? ?????: ?????? ???????? ?????? ???? 1383? ?? 467 ?? ????? ??? ??? 1385? ??? ??? 1387? ????: 9789643691455? ?????: ????????? ????????? ?????? - ??? 21 ?
?????: ????? ?????? ???????: ??????? ?????? ?????: ????? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? 1388? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??? 1: 9789643497026? ???? ??? 2: 9789643497033?
?? ????? ?????? ? ??? ????? ? ??????? ??? ? ???????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ???. ????? ?? ???? ????? ? ???? ????? ? ??? ??? ???????? ?? ????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ????????. ??????? ????? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???? ???. ??? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????????... ? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ?????? ???? ... ?. ???????
June 24, 2018
★ 2 / 5 ★
It breaks my heart to say this, but this is my first skimmed/dnf book of 2018. I was really hoping I wouldn’t have any this year … oh well. I have to stick to my philosophy that “life is too short to push yourself to read books you’re not into.” I think most people can agree with that. So many books, so little time, you know?
Really, I don’t have much to say. The Thief Lord started off promising (I really enjoyed Chapter One with Victor and his internal bluntness)—however, the other characters, I wasn’t too fond of. And once I realized that nearly every chapter focused on Prosper and Bo, I wasn’t into it.
There’s nothing wrong with this book. There really isn’t. The writing is fine and the story seems like it should be interesting; only I didn’t think it was. Therefore, I’m going to chalk this up as a “me” thing, because I can see many people enjoying this.
I know this is a short review, but I don’t have anything else to say.
It's not a bad book—it just isn't for me.
It breaks my heart to say this, but this is my first skimmed/dnf book of 2018. I was really hoping I wouldn’t have any this year … oh well. I have to stick to my philosophy that “life is too short to push yourself to read books you’re not into.” I think most people can agree with that. So many books, so little time, you know?
Really, I don’t have much to say. The Thief Lord started off promising (I really enjoyed Chapter One with Victor and his internal bluntness)—however, the other characters, I wasn’t too fond of. And once I realized that nearly every chapter focused on Prosper and Bo, I wasn’t into it.
There’s nothing wrong with this book. There really isn’t. The writing is fine and the story seems like it should be interesting; only I didn’t think it was. Therefore, I’m going to chalk this up as a “me” thing, because I can see many people enjoying this.
I know this is a short review, but I don’t have anything else to say.
It's not a bad book—it just isn't for me.
Read
December 4, 2013Book of the Year Awards... Really? Is it unsympathetic of me to think that this book is... childish? How reductive should authors of children's lit be?
I've been working with a young student this summer, and The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke, is a big favorite on the sixth grade circuit. This particular boy had chosen it for summer reading, and so I picked up a copy for myself.
Enh.
Billed as a "fantastical journey" through "the magical underworld of Venice, Italy", The Thief Lord follows a pair of orphaned boys on the run from their condescending aunt. They survive with the help of a small gang of children run by one boy, Scipio, who takes on the titular moniker. Trouble comes their way, though, as the boys' aunt hires a detective to track them down and as the gang discovers a secret that their leader has been hiding.
Ok: Venice, gangs of child thieves, possessive relatives on the prowl... Prime fixin's for a romantic vision; sounds like the makings of a Dickensian tale. But as the story reveals itself--strict, impatient fathers; detectives with fake moustaches; grumpy shopkeepers--the more cliche and the less compelling it becomes.
The Thief Lord doesn't run too deep. It's a fun tale that takes the reader through modern day Venice, and it seems to begin and end there: a fun tale. Well, a fun tale for kids. Everyone acts like children in this novel. Even the grumpy grown-ups. Especially the grumpy grown-ups.
Even as a cultural piece (Venice!), the novel falls short. Aside from a few choice phrases in Italian, Funke doesn't take advantage of the opportunity to educate her readers (young and old) the way she could. The novel bounces from piazza to ponte, but everything--settings, characters, etc..--feels vague and undefined.
Do I recommend this? Not really.
Would I teach this? Nope.
Lasting impression: The world of The Thief Lord didn't glow with it's own hidden knowledge the way Pullman or Rowling's worlds do. Characters move impulsively. "Brilliant" ideas don't seem so brilliant. Plot twists rely too much on coincidence and contrivances. Enh.
I've been working with a young student this summer, and The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke, is a big favorite on the sixth grade circuit. This particular boy had chosen it for summer reading, and so I picked up a copy for myself.
Enh.
Billed as a "fantastical journey" through "the magical underworld of Venice, Italy", The Thief Lord follows a pair of orphaned boys on the run from their condescending aunt. They survive with the help of a small gang of children run by one boy, Scipio, who takes on the titular moniker. Trouble comes their way, though, as the boys' aunt hires a detective to track them down and as the gang discovers a secret that their leader has been hiding.
Ok: Venice, gangs of child thieves, possessive relatives on the prowl... Prime fixin's for a romantic vision; sounds like the makings of a Dickensian tale. But as the story reveals itself--strict, impatient fathers; detectives with fake moustaches; grumpy shopkeepers--the more cliche and the less compelling it becomes.
The Thief Lord doesn't run too deep. It's a fun tale that takes the reader through modern day Venice, and it seems to begin and end there: a fun tale. Well, a fun tale for kids. Everyone acts like children in this novel. Even the grumpy grown-ups. Especially the grumpy grown-ups.
Even as a cultural piece (Venice!), the novel falls short. Aside from a few choice phrases in Italian, Funke doesn't take advantage of the opportunity to educate her readers (young and old) the way she could. The novel bounces from piazza to ponte, but everything--settings, characters, etc..--feels vague and undefined.
Do I recommend this? Not really.
Would I teach this? Nope.
Lasting impression: The world of The Thief Lord didn't glow with it's own hidden knowledge the way Pullman or Rowling's worlds do. Characters move impulsively. "Brilliant" ideas don't seem so brilliant. Plot twists rely too much on coincidence and contrivances. Enh.
April 23, 2017
Set in contemporary Venice (around the time of both answering machines and cell phones), this is not exactly what I expected, which was a historical fantasy with lighthearted, adventurous thieving in it. What I got was a more realistic tale of runaways and orphans trying to make it in a contemporary city. Still, bonus points for Venice!
There was a little bit of thieving, but it was more desperate, the group of kids scraping by while living in an abandoned movie theater. It was sad, but heartwarming as well because of the friendships that they found. It honestly took me a while to warm up to it, until the second half when the focus shifted away from their sparse lives and into more of an adventure - what I'd been expecting in the first place.
There's a little bit of magic to it towards the end, enough to shake things up. There's payback that doesn't end up being malicious, and wishes coming true that end up not being quite what was hoped for. That made a bittersweet ending for some of the characters, and an arguably happy one for others, whether they deserved it or not. I like how it wasn't all black and white.
One drawback for me is that it was told in a very juvenile tone - it's definitely for middle grade readers. That, and some of the word choices in the translation didn't fit and were distracting (for example, "darn it" was used a lot). I'd probably give it 2 stars, given how much I don't usually enjoy contemporary, realistic stories. But it was good for its target age group, and I probably would have loved it when I was younger, so I'm bumping it up a star.
There was a little bit of thieving, but it was more desperate, the group of kids scraping by while living in an abandoned movie theater. It was sad, but heartwarming as well because of the friendships that they found. It honestly took me a while to warm up to it, until the second half when the focus shifted away from their sparse lives and into more of an adventure - what I'd been expecting in the first place.
There's a little bit of magic to it towards the end, enough to shake things up. There's payback that doesn't end up being malicious, and wishes coming true that end up not being quite what was hoped for. That made a bittersweet ending for some of the characters, and an arguably happy one for others, whether they deserved it or not. I like how it wasn't all black and white.
One drawback for me is that it was told in a very juvenile tone - it's definitely for middle grade readers. That, and some of the word choices in the translation didn't fit and were distracting (for example, "darn it" was used a lot). I'd probably give it 2 stars, given how much I don't usually enjoy contemporary, realistic stories. But it was good for its target age group, and I probably would have loved it when I was younger, so I'm bumping it up a star.
September 25, 2007
It's a great fantasy: Let's run away to Venice, and hide out in an old movie theater. We can dye our hair blonde, so no one will ever find us!
In a way, this is a European version of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, with siblings running away to a place stuffed with antiquities, and getting mixed up in an art mystery. I guess Victor the detective must have the Mrs. Frankweiler role.
I didn't expect the touch of fantasy at the end. I'd love to read a sequel to find out what happened to the Thief Lord.
In a way, this is a European version of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, with siblings running away to a place stuffed with antiquities, and getting mixed up in an art mystery. I guess Victor the detective must have the Mrs. Frankweiler role.
I didn't expect the touch of fantasy at the end. I'd love to read a sequel to find out what happened to the Thief Lord.
January 30, 2022
Auch 15 Jahre und unz?hlige Bücher nach dem ersten Lesen liebe ich dieses Buch noch ganz besonders. Alle Charaktere wachsen einem unendlich ans Herz und abgesehen von Cornelia Funkes magischem Schreibstil ist die Handlung absolut genial, mit einem perfekten Spannungsbogen und super fesselnd. Auch das H?rbuch, welches stellenweise mit Musik untermalt wird ist eine gro?e Empfehlung. ?Herr der Diebe“ hat sich den Platz, den es seit jeher in meinem Herzen hatte redlich verdient und verteidigt!
August 4, 2019
Decent children's literature, set in Venice, mixing adventure, social issues and fantasy. The overarching theme is the question of childhood versus adulthood, and the inherent difficulties of both!
August 15, 2018
Ach wie sü?!
Ich habe das Buch schon einmal als Kind gelesen, aber ehrlich gesagt konnte ich mich nur noch an den Anfang erinnern und wusste sonst nur noch schemenhaft worum es ging.
Deswegen habe ich mir das Buch vor einiger Zeit nochmal gekauft und es jetzt gelesen ?.
Die Geschichte rund um Prosper, Bo, Wespe, dem Herrn der Diebe und den anderen, werden wohl viele von euch schon kennen ?.
Ich finde sie einfach sü?!
Allerdings m?chte ich nicht zu viel dazu sagen falls ihr das Buch noch nicht gelesen haben solltet?.
Für mich geh?rt "Herr der Diebe" definitiv zu den Büchern meiner Kindheit und ich k?nnte es immer wieder lesen ?. Immerhin geht es in dem Buch u. a. um Freundschaft, Zusammenhalt und um das Erwachsen werden ?.
Ich glaube "Herr der Diebe" war damals mein zweites Buch der Autorin, denn den Drachenreiter habe ich vorher gelesen ?. Auf jeden Fall kann ich euch die Bücher der Autorin nur empfehlen, egal wie alt ihr seid ?.
Ich habe das Buch schon einmal als Kind gelesen, aber ehrlich gesagt konnte ich mich nur noch an den Anfang erinnern und wusste sonst nur noch schemenhaft worum es ging.
Deswegen habe ich mir das Buch vor einiger Zeit nochmal gekauft und es jetzt gelesen ?.
Die Geschichte rund um Prosper, Bo, Wespe, dem Herrn der Diebe und den anderen, werden wohl viele von euch schon kennen ?.
Ich finde sie einfach sü?!
Allerdings m?chte ich nicht zu viel dazu sagen falls ihr das Buch noch nicht gelesen haben solltet?.
Für mich geh?rt "Herr der Diebe" definitiv zu den Büchern meiner Kindheit und ich k?nnte es immer wieder lesen ?. Immerhin geht es in dem Buch u. a. um Freundschaft, Zusammenhalt und um das Erwachsen werden ?.
Ich glaube "Herr der Diebe" war damals mein zweites Buch der Autorin, denn den Drachenreiter habe ich vorher gelesen ?. Auf jeden Fall kann ich euch die Bücher der Autorin nur empfehlen, egal wie alt ihr seid ?.
July 25, 2019
I remember reading this in my teens and enjoying it quite a bit. I just realized, today, the author wrote Inkheart as well.
January 18, 2019
By the time I hit chapter 45 out of 52, my interest in the plot started fizzling out.
The characters are well-drawn, but there’s not much development or growth shown over the course of the story. The plot takes place within a modern setting, but a fantastical element is thrown in kind of randomly. It feels out of place and there’s a lot of exposition surrounding it. The setting is great, with some nice details thrown into the action and descriptions. But generally the writing isn’t particularly special or captivating. This book is a decent children’s story that entertains, but it's not a classic.
I think I had started this one years ago, back when I was younger, and never finished. It was very familiar, but I had no memory of the ending.
I plan to revisit the series in audiobook format soon.
Read Sarah’s good in-depth review here: /review/show...
The characters are well-drawn, but there’s not much development or growth shown over the course of the story. The plot takes place within a modern setting, but a fantastical element is thrown in kind of randomly. It feels out of place and there’s a lot of exposition surrounding it. The setting is great, with some nice details thrown into the action and descriptions. But generally the writing isn’t particularly special or captivating. This book is a decent children’s story that entertains, but it's not a classic.
I think I had started this one years ago, back when I was younger, and never finished. It was very familiar, but I had no memory of the ending.
I plan to revisit the series in audiobook format soon.
Read Sarah’s good in-depth review here: /review/show...
October 24, 2016
This was a cute read.
Kind of a mix between Peter Pan/Robin Hood/Oliver Twist. I thought the magical aspect would run heavier in the story than it did.
I enjoyed running around on the streets of Venice with these kids, seeing it through their eyes.
Kind of a mix between Peter Pan/Robin Hood/Oliver Twist. I thought the magical aspect would run heavier in the story than it did.
I enjoyed running around on the streets of Venice with these kids, seeing it through their eyes.
December 29, 2011
Venice would be one of the places I'd visit before I die.
The story of The Thief Lord weaved wonderfully with the gorgeous city of Venice.
If this story had been in a different location it might not have been as appealing.
I love it when a book takes me to places I have never been before.
I rarely travel so that factor is very important to me.
This book did just that.
It took me straight to Venice.
Not only did it take me to Venice, I felt like I was right in the midst of the story.
Like I was one of the kids who lived in the old cinema.
The story began with the Hartliebs seeking Victor Getz's services in locating Prosper and Bo, the sons of Mrs. Harlieb's deceased sister.
Prosper and Bo ran away because their aunt wanted to adopt Bo but not Prosper.
Prosper not wanting to leave his brother with their aunt decided to run away with Bo to Venice which was a city their mother loved dearly.
While in Venice, the brothers met Hornet who took sanctuary in an abandoned movie theater along with other children who were either orphans or abandoned.
The kids from the theater were cared for and helped by the Thief Lord.
He steals from the rich people of Venice and gives it to them so they would have food to eat.
The plot thickens when the Thief Lord was asked to find a missing piece from an antique collection.
It was a very interesting read for me.
I got my copy as a gift for Christmas.
(Thanks jzhunagev! :D)
I didn’t know what to expect when I opened this book.
I thought it was something like Harry Potter but it wasn’t.
I have read another book of Cornelia Funke which was Inkheart.
I liked Inkheart so I was expecting to like The Thief Lord too.
So I was not at all that surprised when I found myself liking this book.
It was not really that original for me because I watched Neverland (a TV movie) which was somehow similar to this.
Neverland was like a different version of Peter Pan.
Peter there was an orphan who grew up with a bunch other kids who were care for by a thief.
Things got messed up when they got a hold of a magic ball which turned out to be a portal to Neverland.
And in this case they were looking for a broken wooden wing for the merry-go-around.
They were different but the same at the same time.
The characters for me were very distinct from each other.
Each of them had their own distinguishing characteristic.
Prosper would have to be my favorite character.
I could relate to his character because I have younger siblings too that I need to protect.
I also liked the detective Victor.
At first I thought he was an evil man but turns out he was the opposite of that.
I liked his two pet tortoises.
It was a really cute touch.
I liked the setting, the characters but I had a bit of a problem with the magical stuff that happens near the end of the book.
Why did she have to put it near the end of the book?
Why now?
Why not earlier?
It was a good twist but then again, it doesn’t jive with the rest of the book.
It was like a different puzzle piece that was forced to fit the puzzle that was missing a piece.
Anyways, I thought this book was still good.
The setting and the characters made this book a success.
This book was not bad but then again its not one of my favorites.
I still prefer Inkheart over this one.
I did enjoy it.
This is the first book I’ve read about Venice and it didn’t disappoint me.
I look forward to reading more of Cornelia Funke's work in the future.
The story of The Thief Lord weaved wonderfully with the gorgeous city of Venice.
If this story had been in a different location it might not have been as appealing.
I love it when a book takes me to places I have never been before.
I rarely travel so that factor is very important to me.
This book did just that.
It took me straight to Venice.
Not only did it take me to Venice, I felt like I was right in the midst of the story.
Like I was one of the kids who lived in the old cinema.
The story began with the Hartliebs seeking Victor Getz's services in locating Prosper and Bo, the sons of Mrs. Harlieb's deceased sister.
Prosper and Bo ran away because their aunt wanted to adopt Bo but not Prosper.
Prosper not wanting to leave his brother with their aunt decided to run away with Bo to Venice which was a city their mother loved dearly.
While in Venice, the brothers met Hornet who took sanctuary in an abandoned movie theater along with other children who were either orphans or abandoned.
The kids from the theater were cared for and helped by the Thief Lord.
He steals from the rich people of Venice and gives it to them so they would have food to eat.
The plot thickens when the Thief Lord was asked to find a missing piece from an antique collection.
It was a very interesting read for me.
I got my copy as a gift for Christmas.
(Thanks jzhunagev! :D)
I didn’t know what to expect when I opened this book.
I thought it was something like Harry Potter but it wasn’t.
I have read another book of Cornelia Funke which was Inkheart.
I liked Inkheart so I was expecting to like The Thief Lord too.
So I was not at all that surprised when I found myself liking this book.
It was not really that original for me because I watched Neverland (a TV movie) which was somehow similar to this.
Neverland was like a different version of Peter Pan.
Peter there was an orphan who grew up with a bunch other kids who were care for by a thief.
Things got messed up when they got a hold of a magic ball which turned out to be a portal to Neverland.
And in this case they were looking for a broken wooden wing for the merry-go-around.
They were different but the same at the same time.
The characters for me were very distinct from each other.
Each of them had their own distinguishing characteristic.
Prosper would have to be my favorite character.
I could relate to his character because I have younger siblings too that I need to protect.
I also liked the detective Victor.
At first I thought he was an evil man but turns out he was the opposite of that.
I liked his two pet tortoises.
It was a really cute touch.
I liked the setting, the characters but I had a bit of a problem with the magical stuff that happens near the end of the book.
Why did she have to put it near the end of the book?
Why now?
Why not earlier?
It was a good twist but then again, it doesn’t jive with the rest of the book.
It was like a different puzzle piece that was forced to fit the puzzle that was missing a piece.
Anyways, I thought this book was still good.
The setting and the characters made this book a success.
This book was not bad but then again its not one of my favorites.
I still prefer Inkheart over this one.
I did enjoy it.
This is the first book I’ve read about Venice and it didn’t disappoint me.
I look forward to reading more of Cornelia Funke's work in the future.
July 23, 2011
This book did not work well to me, Cornelia Funke gave me another headache after reading her Inkheart series which I thought will be one of my favorites since the movie was great. I did like the movie very much and I dug a hole 6 feet under for the whole series not be seen by my eyes again. Well, I think I broke one of the important rules of reading and watching book-tie-in stuff. I did watch the movie before the book so that made things worst but I was hoping not.
The last time I remember reading Cornelia Funke was when my mom go shopping in the nearby mall for 4 hours and I wait like a lap dog. Seriously, I'm very disappointed to Funke but I'm not yet done with her and I might try her other YA or children's books which will be nice raw (by reading reviews out of control).
When Prosper and Bo escaped from their cruel rich aunt they met this group of kids who helped and cared by the Thief Lord, which fed them and act like a grown man. Well, he was hoping to be a grown man unfortunately something horrible scene happened in the end. They met Barbarossa, the antique dealer, and they are asked to met with the Conte who only wish is to find a missing piece of one of his antique toys (quite big for a toy though) and so on.
Talking about the characters which one of them have their own different personalities and very interesting that Funke made 6 characters very well and very hard to familiarize each in the beginning of the story. Prosper and Bo, orphaned and living with their cruel aunt, and they escaped and found home in an old theater. Musca, the black boy who have love to water. Hornet, the reader and the only female in the band. She's quite a mother.
Riccio, sometimes called the weasle because of his, eeew, his ugly teeth! Lastly, Scipio, the Thief Lord and the one who acts as an adult in the pack (Alpha Dog). If I have the chance to become one of them, I might chose Prosper. He is a nice brother, caring but to possessive but I think he only protect his brother from their cruel relatives and of course safety. But I think my hopes will die along because they already made a movie!
I did expect a lot to this book since most of my friends really liked this book and the Inkheart series which I should not done before I started reading this book. This story is very unique, quite magical although there are not much of magical stuff inside and no popular book characters appeared. At least Cornelia Funke emphasize the city of Venice, how ancient, dark and historical the place is.
So far this is my 3rd book about Venice and I want more, hoping to go there soon, later in life. Jeez, don't think that I have to be 60 before I start traveling outside Philippines. The dark and childish aroma of this book is very fascinating for a young child, but not for me. Although I read a lot of children's books, this one is different, this one is more on adventure and deception. Kind of.
I recommend this book to those who love to read children's books and child at heart. Don't forget, this book was one of Cornelia Funke's best book and guys you have to read this. But until now, I'm still been sued by many conspiracy behind this book. This is not as good as any book I read but not bad enough to be like and enjoyed in a series of minutes. Enjoy reading and see you to Venice in no time!
Review posted on .
Rating: The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, 3 Sweets
Challenges:
Book #203 for 2011
Book #119 for
The last time I remember reading Cornelia Funke was when my mom go shopping in the nearby mall for 4 hours and I wait like a lap dog. Seriously, I'm very disappointed to Funke but I'm not yet done with her and I might try her other YA or children's books which will be nice raw (by reading reviews out of control).
When Prosper and Bo escaped from their cruel rich aunt they met this group of kids who helped and cared by the Thief Lord, which fed them and act like a grown man. Well, he was hoping to be a grown man unfortunately something horrible scene happened in the end. They met Barbarossa, the antique dealer, and they are asked to met with the Conte who only wish is to find a missing piece of one of his antique toys (quite big for a toy though) and so on.
Talking about the characters which one of them have their own different personalities and very interesting that Funke made 6 characters very well and very hard to familiarize each in the beginning of the story. Prosper and Bo, orphaned and living with their cruel aunt, and they escaped and found home in an old theater. Musca, the black boy who have love to water. Hornet, the reader and the only female in the band. She's quite a mother.
Riccio, sometimes called the weasle because of his, eeew, his ugly teeth! Lastly, Scipio, the Thief Lord and the one who acts as an adult in the pack (Alpha Dog). If I have the chance to become one of them, I might chose Prosper. He is a nice brother, caring but to possessive but I think he only protect his brother from their cruel relatives and of course safety. But I think my hopes will die along because they already made a movie!
I did expect a lot to this book since most of my friends really liked this book and the Inkheart series which I should not done before I started reading this book. This story is very unique, quite magical although there are not much of magical stuff inside and no popular book characters appeared. At least Cornelia Funke emphasize the city of Venice, how ancient, dark and historical the place is.
So far this is my 3rd book about Venice and I want more, hoping to go there soon, later in life. Jeez, don't think that I have to be 60 before I start traveling outside Philippines. The dark and childish aroma of this book is very fascinating for a young child, but not for me. Although I read a lot of children's books, this one is different, this one is more on adventure and deception. Kind of.
I recommend this book to those who love to read children's books and child at heart. Don't forget, this book was one of Cornelia Funke's best book and guys you have to read this. But until now, I'm still been sued by many conspiracy behind this book. This is not as good as any book I read but not bad enough to be like and enjoyed in a series of minutes. Enjoy reading and see you to Venice in no time!
The cast of the movie and Cornelia Funke. I don't have any idea where they took this photo but I can still remember the pigeon that mentioned in the story. The one that flew up high.
Review posted on .
Rating: The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, 3 Sweets
Challenges:
Book #203 for 2011
Book #119 for
July 27, 2016
Peter Pan meets Six of Crows (a younger version) meets The Boxcar Children in modern-day Venice with a slight twist of fantasy near the end, in this gripping adventure tale of two brothers and their unexpected friends... especially a mysterious boy named Scipio. I adored how Prosper looked after Bo--it made me happy. (Also, pet tortoises! Poor Victor. XD)
Solid 4 stars throughout, might have made it to 5 stars if it had ended how I wanted... As it is, it's being kept from a disappointed-2-stars currently by remembering that I liked it most of the time and by pretending there's a missing chapter afterward. :P
(In which... [alternate ending of my own imagination... don't read]: That's what happens in the chapter that doesn't exist, after the end, which I maintain should/could happen. *coughcough* ...It all COULD still happen! I insist. Ahem. *folds arms stubbornly*)
Basically other than a couple discontentments about the ending (), it was a great read. I just... am evidently enormously picky about my endings. >.> *cough* Obviously a flaw of mine... Somewhat disappointed, but I can pretend a missing chapter continuing the ending, so. XD
Solid 4 stars throughout, might have made it to 5 stars if it had ended how I wanted... As it is, it's being kept from a disappointed-2-stars currently by remembering that I liked it most of the time and by pretending there's a missing chapter afterward. :P
(In which... [alternate ending of my own imagination... don't read]: That's what happens in the chapter that doesn't exist, after the end, which I maintain should/could happen. *coughcough* ...It all COULD still happen! I insist. Ahem. *folds arms stubbornly*)
Basically other than a couple discontentments about the ending (), it was a great read. I just... am evidently enormously picky about my endings. >.> *cough* Obviously a flaw of mine... Somewhat disappointed, but I can pretend a missing chapter continuing the ending, so. XD
August 2, 2019
Nachdem ich das neue Buch von Cornelia Funke Das Labyrinth des Fauns gelesen und mich neuerlich in ihre wundervolle Erz?hlweise verliebt hatte, stand für mich fest, dass es nun endlich an der Zeit war, auch all ihre anderen Bücher zu lesen, die ich bis dato noch nicht kannte. Eines davon war Herr der Diebe, ein Buch, von dem eine Freundin von mir schon schw?rmte, seit ich sie kannte; ein Buch, dass bereits seit zwei Jahren auf meinem SUB lag, weil ich nach meinem damaligen Italien Roadtrip auf der Suche nach Geschichten war, die in Italien spielten, vorzugsweise in einer der St?dte, in die ich selbst gereist war. Venedig war eine davon. Dennoch habe ich immer eher zu anderen Büchern gegriffen, als zu diesem hier. Nach Das Labyrinth des Fauns allerdings machte ich endlich N?gel mit K?pfen. Statt das Buch jedoch zu lesen, entschloss ich mich, das H?rbuch zu h?ren. Und jetzt? Ganz offensichtlich gibt es jetzt ein Buch mehr, das ich auf die Liste meiner Lieblingsbücher setzen kann. Warum? Nun, um das zu erfahren, müsst ihr einfach meine nachfolgende Rezension lesen.
Herr der Diebe war für mich eine richtige Wundertüte voll von magischen ?berraschungen, mit denen ich nie im Leben gerechnet h?tte. Bereits nach dem ersten Kapitel war ich gefangen in dieser Geschichte; verzaubert von Cornelia Funkes wundersch?nen Worten und in den Bann gezogen von dem unglaublich sch?nen Setting. In der Stadt des Mondes, Venedig, spielt die Geschichte und die Autorin schafft es, dem Leser das Gefühl zu vermitteln, als w?re man selbst dort; als steckte man mitten in dieser Geschichte. Wir lernen ein Venedig kennen, wie es nur Kinderaugen sehen k?nnen mit all den magischen Orten, dunklen Gassen und wunderbaren Details, die an so manchem erwachsenem Auge viel zu schnell vorüberziehen, ohne, dass sie sie überhaupt bemerken. Prosper und Bo, unsere beiden Protagonisten, zeichnen ein solch zauberhaftes Bild dieser Stadt, dass man am liebsten sofort in den n?chsten Flieger steigen und nach Venedig reisen m?chte. Ganz besonders gefallen haben mir hierbei die Beschreibungen ihres Verstecks, ein altes, au?er Betrieb genommenes und verlassenes Kino mit einem hübschen Sternenvorhang, das sie immer liebevoll als ihr ?Sternenversteck“ bezeichnen. Die Stühle sind zwar alt, das Geb?ude heruntergekommen, in der Nacht ist es stockdunkel und kalt ist es ebenfalls, doch der glitzernde Sternenvorhang und die rustikale Bauweise verleihen diesem Versteck einen ganz besonderen Charme. Die Kinder tun ihr übriges, haben sie sich hier so h?uslich eingerichtet, dass dieses alte Kino zu ihrem Rückzugsort; zu ihrem zu Hause wurde.
S?mtliche der Charaktere machten es einem unglaublich leicht, sie zu m?gen und sich regelrecht in sie zu verlieben. Ganz gleich ob Victor, der Privatdetektiv oder Prosper und Bo, die beiden Brüder, die wir auf ihrer gesamten Reise begleiten dürfen. Insbesondere die Beziehung zwischen Prosper und Bo, die Liebe, die sie füreinander empfinden, hat mich unglaublich berührt. Prosper, der selbst noch ein halbes Kind ist, setzt alles daran, seinen Bruder zu beschützen, auch wenn dies bedeutet, dass er sich einer Bande Diebe anschlie?en muss, um sich etwas zu essen kaufen zu k?nnen. Dieser Zusammenhalt, die Freundschaft, die Liebe – all das traf mich mitten ins Herz. S?mtliche der Figuren habe ich innerhalb kürzester Zeit in mein Herz geschlossen.
Obwohl man schon von Beginn an das Gefühl hatte, dass dieses Buch jede Menge Magie versprüht, stellt man erst im Verlauf der Geschichte fest, dass es sich hierbei tats?chlich um eine leicht magisch angehauchte Geschichte handelt, was mir unglaublich gut gefallen hat. Tats?chlich konnte ich mir zu Anfang nicht vorstellen, was es mit dem Buch auf sich hat. 400 Seiten Erz?hlungen über einen 12-j?hrigen venezianischen Dieb? Doch dann vermischte Cornelia Funke Elemente der realen Welt mit ein paar wundersch?nen magischen und fantastischen Elementen, die der Geschichte das gewisse Etwas verleihen. Hier m?chte ich nicht zu viel verraten, aber eins kann ich sagen: diese Geschichte verl?uft viel magischer und zauberhafter, als ich zu Anfang geglaubt hatte und ich fand es einfach gro?artig.
Auch das Ende gefiel mir unglaublich gut, verlieh mir nicht nur G?nsehaut, sondern bescherte mir auch ein wundersch?n warmes Gefühl tief in meinem Herzen. Ein Happy End, dass meines Erachtens unglaublich zufriedenstellend ist, auch wenn ich nichts gegen eine Fortsetzung einzuwenden h?tte. Als ich das Buch beendet hatte, fühlte es sich an, als würde ich aus einem der sch?nsten Tr?ume erwachen, die ich jemals gehabt hatte und noch jetzt hallt dieses Gefühl nach; st?ndig muss ich an diese Geschichte denken und jedes Mal wird mir ganz warm ums Herz.
Es gab tats?chlich nur zwei Dinge, die ich negativ aufgefasst habe; zwei getroffene Aussagen in dem Buch, die in meinen Augen sehr problematisch sind. Einer der Kinder, Mosca, ist schwarz und zwei mal wird auf doch rassistische Art und Weise auf seine Hautfarbe angespielt; Ausdrücke, die vermutlich der Zeit geschuldet waren, in der das Buch geschrieben war und vermutlich auch dem Charakter, der in diesem Moment im Mittelpunkt steht und vermutlich eben genau dies denkt, dennoch m?chte ich nicht unerw?hnt lassen, dass ich diese beiden Aussagen wirklich sehr negativ aufgefasst habe.
LOHNT SICH DAS BUCH?
Absolut. Von mir bekommt dieses Buch eine absolute Leseempfehlung. Mich konnte es nicht nur von Anfang bis Ende begeistern, sondern auch absolut fesseln. Ich bin verliebt, verliebt in Cornelia Funke’s Worte, in das wundersch?ne Venedig, in die Bande junger Diebe, in Victor und Ida, in all die magischen Elemente, die die Autorin in die Geschichte hat mit einflie?en lassen, in die Geschichte an sich – hach, ich kann gar nicht aufh?ren zu schw?rmen und würde das Buch am liebsten gleich noch einmal von Neuem beginnen. Für mich ganz klar eines der besten Kinderbücher, die ich je gelesen habe und definitiv eines meiner neuen Lieblingsbücher. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, auch die anderen Titel von Cornelia Funke endlich zu lesen.
Herr der Diebe war für mich eine richtige Wundertüte voll von magischen ?berraschungen, mit denen ich nie im Leben gerechnet h?tte. Bereits nach dem ersten Kapitel war ich gefangen in dieser Geschichte; verzaubert von Cornelia Funkes wundersch?nen Worten und in den Bann gezogen von dem unglaublich sch?nen Setting. In der Stadt des Mondes, Venedig, spielt die Geschichte und die Autorin schafft es, dem Leser das Gefühl zu vermitteln, als w?re man selbst dort; als steckte man mitten in dieser Geschichte. Wir lernen ein Venedig kennen, wie es nur Kinderaugen sehen k?nnen mit all den magischen Orten, dunklen Gassen und wunderbaren Details, die an so manchem erwachsenem Auge viel zu schnell vorüberziehen, ohne, dass sie sie überhaupt bemerken. Prosper und Bo, unsere beiden Protagonisten, zeichnen ein solch zauberhaftes Bild dieser Stadt, dass man am liebsten sofort in den n?chsten Flieger steigen und nach Venedig reisen m?chte. Ganz besonders gefallen haben mir hierbei die Beschreibungen ihres Verstecks, ein altes, au?er Betrieb genommenes und verlassenes Kino mit einem hübschen Sternenvorhang, das sie immer liebevoll als ihr ?Sternenversteck“ bezeichnen. Die Stühle sind zwar alt, das Geb?ude heruntergekommen, in der Nacht ist es stockdunkel und kalt ist es ebenfalls, doch der glitzernde Sternenvorhang und die rustikale Bauweise verleihen diesem Versteck einen ganz besonderen Charme. Die Kinder tun ihr übriges, haben sie sich hier so h?uslich eingerichtet, dass dieses alte Kino zu ihrem Rückzugsort; zu ihrem zu Hause wurde.
S?mtliche der Charaktere machten es einem unglaublich leicht, sie zu m?gen und sich regelrecht in sie zu verlieben. Ganz gleich ob Victor, der Privatdetektiv oder Prosper und Bo, die beiden Brüder, die wir auf ihrer gesamten Reise begleiten dürfen. Insbesondere die Beziehung zwischen Prosper und Bo, die Liebe, die sie füreinander empfinden, hat mich unglaublich berührt. Prosper, der selbst noch ein halbes Kind ist, setzt alles daran, seinen Bruder zu beschützen, auch wenn dies bedeutet, dass er sich einer Bande Diebe anschlie?en muss, um sich etwas zu essen kaufen zu k?nnen. Dieser Zusammenhalt, die Freundschaft, die Liebe – all das traf mich mitten ins Herz. S?mtliche der Figuren habe ich innerhalb kürzester Zeit in mein Herz geschlossen.
Obwohl man schon von Beginn an das Gefühl hatte, dass dieses Buch jede Menge Magie versprüht, stellt man erst im Verlauf der Geschichte fest, dass es sich hierbei tats?chlich um eine leicht magisch angehauchte Geschichte handelt, was mir unglaublich gut gefallen hat. Tats?chlich konnte ich mir zu Anfang nicht vorstellen, was es mit dem Buch auf sich hat. 400 Seiten Erz?hlungen über einen 12-j?hrigen venezianischen Dieb? Doch dann vermischte Cornelia Funke Elemente der realen Welt mit ein paar wundersch?nen magischen und fantastischen Elementen, die der Geschichte das gewisse Etwas verleihen. Hier m?chte ich nicht zu viel verraten, aber eins kann ich sagen: diese Geschichte verl?uft viel magischer und zauberhafter, als ich zu Anfang geglaubt hatte und ich fand es einfach gro?artig.
Auch das Ende gefiel mir unglaublich gut, verlieh mir nicht nur G?nsehaut, sondern bescherte mir auch ein wundersch?n warmes Gefühl tief in meinem Herzen. Ein Happy End, dass meines Erachtens unglaublich zufriedenstellend ist, auch wenn ich nichts gegen eine Fortsetzung einzuwenden h?tte. Als ich das Buch beendet hatte, fühlte es sich an, als würde ich aus einem der sch?nsten Tr?ume erwachen, die ich jemals gehabt hatte und noch jetzt hallt dieses Gefühl nach; st?ndig muss ich an diese Geschichte denken und jedes Mal wird mir ganz warm ums Herz.
Es gab tats?chlich nur zwei Dinge, die ich negativ aufgefasst habe; zwei getroffene Aussagen in dem Buch, die in meinen Augen sehr problematisch sind. Einer der Kinder, Mosca, ist schwarz und zwei mal wird auf doch rassistische Art und Weise auf seine Hautfarbe angespielt; Ausdrücke, die vermutlich der Zeit geschuldet waren, in der das Buch geschrieben war und vermutlich auch dem Charakter, der in diesem Moment im Mittelpunkt steht und vermutlich eben genau dies denkt, dennoch m?chte ich nicht unerw?hnt lassen, dass ich diese beiden Aussagen wirklich sehr negativ aufgefasst habe.
LOHNT SICH DAS BUCH?
Absolut. Von mir bekommt dieses Buch eine absolute Leseempfehlung. Mich konnte es nicht nur von Anfang bis Ende begeistern, sondern auch absolut fesseln. Ich bin verliebt, verliebt in Cornelia Funke’s Worte, in das wundersch?ne Venedig, in die Bande junger Diebe, in Victor und Ida, in all die magischen Elemente, die die Autorin in die Geschichte hat mit einflie?en lassen, in die Geschichte an sich – hach, ich kann gar nicht aufh?ren zu schw?rmen und würde das Buch am liebsten gleich noch einmal von Neuem beginnen. Für mich ganz klar eines der besten Kinderbücher, die ich je gelesen habe und definitiv eines meiner neuen Lieblingsbücher. Ich kann es kaum erwarten, auch die anderen Titel von Cornelia Funke endlich zu lesen.
July 5, 2022
I read this book after my 9-year-old little friend that sometimes sits and reads with me and brings all her books for me to look over got this from her school library. I love hearing her tell me all about what she's read when she finishes. This time she wasn't her usual enthusiastic self about sharing this story so I asked her if I could read it. I found the book problematic on several levels. One...it's a book marketed for 10–12-year-old children and it seemed that the entire theme of the book is based on the boy known as The Thief Lord and his habits of stealing and how enthralled with him the two boys were that was with him. The second thing that bothered me was that none of the adults in the book seemed to want to confront him on it or question him in any way. The boys thought he was some kind of hero because he did whatever he wanted and also was capable of magic that was seldom used for anything good. The story is very slow to get started, and the promised fantasy element doesn't appear until the last 75 pages. There's little emotional involvement, and the rest of the story just meanders. There are adults in the book but none of them ring true or behave like any adult you've ever met would when met with two young runaways and a kid that is a thief even if he does know magic. The amorality of the children, and the author, was a concern. I asked my little friend what she liked about the story if anything, and she, in honest 9-year-old fashion, admitted she was quiet taken with the adults letting the children do whatever they wanted with complete freedom and no punishment. Noone dared to bother them, and they weren't told to clean their room or to go to school. That also worried me slightly until she admitted that she didn't think the way they behaved was right and they should have been in trouble and been sent to their room.
August 16, 2019
I really wanted to love this book. I have been to Venice multiple times and I loved the "boxcar children" feel to the story. However, the ending really killed it for me. The thief lord was not a thief at all, but a bored rich kid who just brought crap from his house. To make matters worse, the bored lonely rich kid wanted to be an adult, so he jumped on a magical carousel and became a man. Like what the heck? This could have been a favorite of mine but the ending sucked. Do not bother reading it!
September 9, 2020
This made me very happy, I read this as a kid and was reminded this book exists thanks to book tube, I so enjoyed the characters, and the magic of the whole story.
I would have to say that Ida and Victor are so very fun adult characters, and Prop and Bo where very strong and well detailed charters. My favorite of course would have to be Hornet, her loving motherly touch even at such a young age was so sweet. I had completely forgot about the Merry-go-round and how the aunt took Barbossa.
Definitely memorable and fun to read
I would have to say that Ida and Victor are so very fun adult characters, and Prop and Bo where very strong and well detailed charters. My favorite of course would have to be Hornet, her loving motherly touch even at such a young age was so sweet. I had completely forgot about the Merry-go-round and how the aunt took Barbossa.
Definitely memorable and fun to read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2019
Die Autorin schafft es immer einen ganz eigenen Zauber in ihre Welt zu legen und mit Venedig als Schauplatz ist nochmal eine gute Portion mehr Magie im Spiel. Die verschneiten D?cher, die schmalen Gassen, die Kan?le, die an die H?user schwappen... dazu sympathische Charaktere, die einem gleich an Herz wachsen, jede Menge Abenteuer und Freundschaft. Es ist natürlich ein Kinderbuch und manche L?sungen entsprechend einfach, aber auch als Erwachsener kann man in dem Buch wunderbar versinken und einen kleinen Ausflug ins winterliche Venedig genie?en.
Ich empfehle speziell das H?rbuch mit Rainer Strecker. Er liest wieder fantastisch und sogar die kleinen Musikeinschübe zwischen den Kapiteln st?ren nicht, sondern tragen wunderbar zur Atmosph?re bei.
Ich empfehle speziell das H?rbuch mit Rainer Strecker. Er liest wieder fantastisch und sogar die kleinen Musikeinschübe zwischen den Kapiteln st?ren nicht, sondern tragen wunderbar zur Atmosph?re bei.
September 21, 2021
In 2019, I vowed to reread more of my childhood books. I find it interesting to look back and reflect on the stories that impacted my life 10, heck even 15, years ago. Many of these reads turn out to be very nostalgic as I remember more and more as the story moves along. Sometimes I even discover a bookmark or a note of others sorts in the book and am reminded of how different of a reader I used to be.
Unfortunately, my reread of Herr der Diebe (The Thief Lord) by my favourite childhood author Cornelia Funke didn't prove to be as magical. I remember really enjoying this book as a young girl and even taking inspiration from it by pretending to be an orphan girl roaming the streets of Venice with my gang (...oh, a child's imagination). But when I reread this, I was shocked to see how little I actually knew of the story; I couldn't even recall the magical element at the end. Overall, the story just didn't impress me, nor did it move me. It wasn't a nostalgic experience. It was just fine. Herr der Diebe is probably still a book I would recommend for young readers, but it's not a book I need on my shelves, and therefore I will be unhauling it shortly. Farewell!
The story focuses on Prosper and Bo, two brothers who ran away from their home after their mother has passed away. They are forced to live with their aunt and both don't want that. Therefore, they make their way to Venice (...talk about realistic, lmao) and soon join a gang of other orphaned children. Their leader calls himself the Thief Lord and provides them with food and shelter. The boys and one girl rely on thieving and stealing and making weird deals with a local seller. One day, they are offered to take on a bigger job – the theft of a wing made out of wood.
Unfortunately, I didn't really care for any of the characters and was therefore not really invested in the story. As an adult, I found Victor's story line more engaging than the one of the kids. Victor is the private investigator who is hired by Prosper's aunt to find the two boys. Victor finds himself soon in a morally dilemma as he finds out that the aunt wants to separate the boys (she wants to raise the younger and send Prosper to boarding school) and she is overall a very annoying person. I liked his personality and dry sense of humour the best.
The ending of this book was absolutely ridiculous and so over the top cheesy (and unrealistic) that I couldn't even feel happy. Forced happy endings aren't for me, especially when they make no sense. I know that Cornelia didn't care about any laws for this tale (the whole adoption process is just wild) but as an adult, it was a little too wild for me. Call me petty. It's just a fact.
And lastly: this book was written in 2000 (!), yet for some goddamn reason, Cornelia Funke just HAD to use the m-word (an obsolete and racist word to describe Black people) in it. Ugh. Do better.
Unfortunately, my reread of Herr der Diebe (The Thief Lord) by my favourite childhood author Cornelia Funke didn't prove to be as magical. I remember really enjoying this book as a young girl and even taking inspiration from it by pretending to be an orphan girl roaming the streets of Venice with my gang (...oh, a child's imagination). But when I reread this, I was shocked to see how little I actually knew of the story; I couldn't even recall the magical element at the end. Overall, the story just didn't impress me, nor did it move me. It wasn't a nostalgic experience. It was just fine. Herr der Diebe is probably still a book I would recommend for young readers, but it's not a book I need on my shelves, and therefore I will be unhauling it shortly. Farewell!
The story focuses on Prosper and Bo, two brothers who ran away from their home after their mother has passed away. They are forced to live with their aunt and both don't want that. Therefore, they make their way to Venice (...talk about realistic, lmao) and soon join a gang of other orphaned children. Their leader calls himself the Thief Lord and provides them with food and shelter. The boys and one girl rely on thieving and stealing and making weird deals with a local seller. One day, they are offered to take on a bigger job – the theft of a wing made out of wood.
Children are caterpillars and adults are butterflies. No butterfly ever remembers what it felt like being a caterpillar.They soon discover that the wing belongs to an old carousel that enables its riders to either become older or younger. So, kids who step on the carousel will step off as adults, and the other way around. It is very clear that Cornelia Funke wanted to deal with the subject matter of children wanting to grow up fast, and adults longing for their carefree childhood days. Her message was very on the nose but for a children's book that's probably fine. Overall, I found her writing to be a little less engaging than in her other books (...but that may well be because I am way more attached to her iconic children's series like the Ink Trilogy or Die Wilden Hühner).
Unfortunately, I didn't really care for any of the characters and was therefore not really invested in the story. As an adult, I found Victor's story line more engaging than the one of the kids. Victor is the private investigator who is hired by Prosper's aunt to find the two boys. Victor finds himself soon in a morally dilemma as he finds out that the aunt wants to separate the boys (she wants to raise the younger and send Prosper to boarding school) and she is overall a very annoying person. I liked his personality and dry sense of humour the best.
The ending of this book was absolutely ridiculous and so over the top cheesy (and unrealistic) that I couldn't even feel happy. Forced happy endings aren't for me, especially when they make no sense. I know that Cornelia didn't care about any laws for this tale (the whole adoption process is just wild) but as an adult, it was a little too wild for me. Call me petty. It's just a fact.
And lastly: this book was written in 2000 (!), yet for some goddamn reason, Cornelia Funke just HAD to use the m-word (an obsolete and racist word to describe Black people) in it. Ugh. Do better.
May 8, 2022
I hadn't even heard of this book until I was scouring a book sale at one of my local libraries and stumbled upon it. I recognised Cornelia Funke's name because I've read her books "Inkheart" and "Igraine the Brave". But the thing is, there were things I liked about the "Inkheart" movie better than the book, and "Igraine" only got 4 stars from me, so the author's name alone wasn't necessarily enough to sell me on "The Thief Lord." It was the synopsis that got me interested and convinced me to buy it. Because it was a middle grade, which, content-wise, tends to be fairly safe, I decided to just jump in blind and read it right after getting it. I did slip at one point while visiting the book's 欧宝娱乐 page and started scrolling reviews out of habit, but I never got spoiled on anything important besides learning that there's a slight fantasy twist near the end, before I actually got to that part.
The main way I would describe this story is, "Interesting." I definitely didn't hate it. I mostly enjoyed it. But it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and certain elements kept me from falling completely in love.
I think the short version of this review would be that Cornelia Funke's writing style and I are just not a perfect match most of the time. I tend to like her concepts more than her execution of them.
The long version is that, to start with, I did like the characters. They were intriguing and the back-and-forth between chapters from the children's perspectives and chapters from Victor, the detective's perspective, added interest and conflict. You half want to root for Victor to find the kids even as you also hope maybe Prosper and Bo are wrong about their aunt, but then you're afraid they're right about their aunt and you don't want them to be found and separated.
I especially found the children's relationships with each other and the mysterious nature of Scipio interesting. That is one thing I can definitely say Funke does well: Character relationship dynamics. She also did well in making Scipio's true identity a real surprise. I think I was just as shocked by it as his friends. Truly, I gasped at the reveal.
My favorite character was probably Ida because I appreciated her patience, understanding, and desire to truly help the kids when she totally didn't have to.
My least favorite was Esther because, oh my goodness, how could anyone be that selfish and stupid??? I wanted to slap her so many times!
As for the fantasy twist, I think it's for the best that I learned that twist existed before I got to that part of the story or I might have been completely taken off guard. Even knowing something magical was coming, it still surprised me when a certain thing actually worked. I'm honestly a bit conflicted about everything that happened after that point. On one hand, it was interesting, entertaining, and even mildly amusing at points. On the other hand, I do appreciate that Funke had the characters deal with the consequences of what happened, and there were ways that it resulted in a satisfying ending. But there were also ways it was just a smidgen odd and I wasn't quite sure what to think about it.
On the positive side, I'm glad the majority of characters got a happy ending. I was hoping certain characters would end up uniting by the end and was glad that it happened that way.
On the less positive side... I don't know. I guess it was a little odd to me the way the story went from being largely about the "Thief Lord" to being more about this magical element, and by the end there really wasn't a "Thief Lord" anymore, and I honestly felt that the last line of the story, where a certain character decides he's going to call himself "The Thief Lord"... It just felt a bit forced to me? Like, at least Scipio took up the mantle in order to provide for fellow children who needed help, but this other character basically took up the mantle in order to dominate other children, and that didn't feel like the most positive final line, nor did it feel totally necessary to me for the mantle of Thief Lord to even get taken up by anyone else. I would have been more satisfied had it just been stated that that character ended up in this place doing these rather negative things, and THEN end on the actual positive actions of our main characters.
On the more technical side of things, I didn't connect fully with Funke's writing style in this book, either. I could tell this was her debut novel to the extent that her writing wasn't as strong as it was in Inkheart. She tended to stay in omniscient viewpoint in the chapters featuring the kids, and while not done completely poorly, it also was not the best example of omniscient that I've ever read, and it never allowed me to feel like I really knew Prosper and Bo as deeply as I thought I was going to get to know them. All the character development felt very surface level because of this. We see their actions and reactions, but never really dig into their thought processes. She did a better job with that in Victor's chapters, which was interesting since he was an adult and this was written for kids. You'd think she should have dug deeper into the kids' perspectives than Victor's With the kids' chapters, there were several times I wondered why we were in one of the other kid's perspective instead of Prosper's. I just feel there are several ways the story would have been stronger had she really rooted in Prosper's perspective instead of floating around from one kid to another.
Some minor side-gripes are that I wasn't thrilled about the amount of swear word substitutes, and sometimes mean name-calling. For those who want details, I'll get into that further in my content advisory below, but let's just say these were used more frequently than I like seeing in Middle Grade books, which are aimed at children who are at ages where they're more likely to imitate stuff. I was also pretty surprised, not only at how many times guns were waved around, but how many times CHILDREN were the ones waving guns around. I guess, given our culture in 2022 vs what it was in 2000 when this was published, it was just... surprising to me.
So, yeah. Despite the gripes, I didn't hate this. It was plenty entertaining, surprised me in good ways a few times, and was definitely well worth the $1 I paid for it at the library sale. I don't regret giving it a chance. But it also is not a new personal favorite, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars.
Content Advisory:
I personally would be okay giving this book to children 10 and up if they're fairly mature and already reading things like this. I would NOT give it to any child who has a tendency to copy characters they think are cool, or parrot dialog they think is funny because there are enough negative words and name calling in here that I wouldn't want to hear out of a kid's mouth, especially not aimed at another person. As always, know your unique child, and please use this advisory to decide what's best for your family.
Language
H*** is used by adult characters at least three times.
Darn, used alone, and combined with "gosh" is used by children and adults upwards of seven times, sometimes multiple times in a row."
Heck is used at least once.
"God" and "lord" are used as exclamations multiple times each, but always spelled in lower case.
It's stated 3x that some adult characters "curse and swear", but no swears beyond the ones mentioned above^ are ever written out.
Name calling includes a child calling an adult a "blown-up toad" to his face. One child calls another a "lying piece of garbage." The children repeatedly and mockingly refer to an adult man as fat or "fatso". They also refer to a housekeeper as "fat" and "pudgy". Someone is called "the little dwarf" and "the midget" in mocking ways. (The individual being called these things is not actually a person with dwarfism, he's
A boy tells an adult to "shut up."
Violence
Two boys get in a physical fight (no details about the actual blow) that results in one having a bloody nose, and the other having a scratch on the face from fingernails.
Threats of violence include guns several times.
Someone shoots a rifle at a boat from a distance, but doesn't hit anything or anyone.
A woman points a rifle at kids who she catches trying to steal something inside her home, but eventually puts the gun down. One of the boys then gets hold of the rifle and points it at the woman, but she reveals that the rifle doesn't actually work.
Victor carries a pistol, but never uses it.
In a moment of anger and desperation, Prosper gets hold of a hand gun and states that he's going to go threaten someone with it by sticking it in their face. He actually does point it at an adult, but is quickly talked into putting it down before he accidentally does something stupid.
A man drags a girl by the hair.
Someone threatens two boys with large, aggressive dogs.
Other:
Prosper and Bo's aunt and uncle are generally uncaring about children unless they're cute, small, and basically act like mini adults. If a child fails to meet that criteria, they are rejected whether they are blood relatives or not.
One boy's father is repeatedly condescending and verbally unkind to him.
The children capture and tie up an adult detective.
Three mentions of adults drinking port.
If it wasn't clear from the title and synopsis, there are instances of stealing and lying going on. Scipio is revealed to be stealing from his own home to provide for his orphan friends, but the fact that he lied and pretended he was actually stealing from anywhere and everywhere, obviously, influences some of the other children to want to actually steal from others. One of the boys is repeatedly scolded for pick-pocketing (an activity he clearly enjoys), and warned that he could get caught and arrested, but it's stated at the end of the story that he went back to that bad habit once the main adventure was over. Prosper repeatedly has to scold Bo for wanting to join Scipio in stealing things.
Magic:
Turns out that there is a light fantasy twist to this story not too long after the halfway point.
The main way I would describe this story is, "Interesting." I definitely didn't hate it. I mostly enjoyed it. But it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and certain elements kept me from falling completely in love.
I think the short version of this review would be that Cornelia Funke's writing style and I are just not a perfect match most of the time. I tend to like her concepts more than her execution of them.
The long version is that, to start with, I did like the characters. They were intriguing and the back-and-forth between chapters from the children's perspectives and chapters from Victor, the detective's perspective, added interest and conflict. You half want to root for Victor to find the kids even as you also hope maybe Prosper and Bo are wrong about their aunt, but then you're afraid they're right about their aunt and you don't want them to be found and separated.
I especially found the children's relationships with each other and the mysterious nature of Scipio interesting. That is one thing I can definitely say Funke does well: Character relationship dynamics. She also did well in making Scipio's true identity a real surprise. I think I was just as shocked by it as his friends. Truly, I gasped at the reveal.
My favorite character was probably Ida because I appreciated her patience, understanding, and desire to truly help the kids when she totally didn't have to.
My least favorite was Esther because, oh my goodness, how could anyone be that selfish and stupid??? I wanted to slap her so many times!
As for the fantasy twist, I think it's for the best that I learned that twist existed before I got to that part of the story or I might have been completely taken off guard. Even knowing something magical was coming, it still surprised me when a certain thing actually worked. I'm honestly a bit conflicted about everything that happened after that point. On one hand, it was interesting, entertaining, and even mildly amusing at points. On the other hand, I do appreciate that Funke had the characters deal with the consequences of what happened, and there were ways that it resulted in a satisfying ending. But there were also ways it was just a smidgen odd and I wasn't quite sure what to think about it.
On the positive side, I'm glad the majority of characters got a happy ending. I was hoping certain characters would end up uniting by the end and was glad that it happened that way.
On the less positive side... I don't know. I guess it was a little odd to me the way the story went from being largely about the "Thief Lord" to being more about this magical element, and by the end there really wasn't a "Thief Lord" anymore, and I honestly felt that the last line of the story, where a certain character decides he's going to call himself "The Thief Lord"... It just felt a bit forced to me? Like, at least Scipio took up the mantle in order to provide for fellow children who needed help, but this other character basically took up the mantle in order to dominate other children, and that didn't feel like the most positive final line, nor did it feel totally necessary to me for the mantle of Thief Lord to even get taken up by anyone else. I would have been more satisfied had it just been stated that that character ended up in this place doing these rather negative things, and THEN end on the actual positive actions of our main characters.
On the more technical side of things, I didn't connect fully with Funke's writing style in this book, either. I could tell this was her debut novel to the extent that her writing wasn't as strong as it was in Inkheart. She tended to stay in omniscient viewpoint in the chapters featuring the kids, and while not done completely poorly, it also was not the best example of omniscient that I've ever read, and it never allowed me to feel like I really knew Prosper and Bo as deeply as I thought I was going to get to know them. All the character development felt very surface level because of this. We see their actions and reactions, but never really dig into their thought processes. She did a better job with that in Victor's chapters, which was interesting since he was an adult and this was written for kids. You'd think she should have dug deeper into the kids' perspectives than Victor's With the kids' chapters, there were several times I wondered why we were in one of the other kid's perspective instead of Prosper's. I just feel there are several ways the story would have been stronger had she really rooted in Prosper's perspective instead of floating around from one kid to another.
Some minor side-gripes are that I wasn't thrilled about the amount of swear word substitutes, and sometimes mean name-calling. For those who want details, I'll get into that further in my content advisory below, but let's just say these were used more frequently than I like seeing in Middle Grade books, which are aimed at children who are at ages where they're more likely to imitate stuff. I was also pretty surprised, not only at how many times guns were waved around, but how many times CHILDREN were the ones waving guns around. I guess, given our culture in 2022 vs what it was in 2000 when this was published, it was just... surprising to me.
So, yeah. Despite the gripes, I didn't hate this. It was plenty entertaining, surprised me in good ways a few times, and was definitely well worth the $1 I paid for it at the library sale. I don't regret giving it a chance. But it also is not a new personal favorite, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars.
Content Advisory:
I personally would be okay giving this book to children 10 and up if they're fairly mature and already reading things like this. I would NOT give it to any child who has a tendency to copy characters they think are cool, or parrot dialog they think is funny because there are enough negative words and name calling in here that I wouldn't want to hear out of a kid's mouth, especially not aimed at another person. As always, know your unique child, and please use this advisory to decide what's best for your family.
Language
H*** is used by adult characters at least three times.
Darn, used alone, and combined with "gosh" is used by children and adults upwards of seven times, sometimes multiple times in a row."
Heck is used at least once.
"God" and "lord" are used as exclamations multiple times each, but always spelled in lower case.
It's stated 3x that some adult characters "curse and swear", but no swears beyond the ones mentioned above^ are ever written out.
Name calling includes a child calling an adult a "blown-up toad" to his face. One child calls another a "lying piece of garbage." The children repeatedly and mockingly refer to an adult man as fat or "fatso". They also refer to a housekeeper as "fat" and "pudgy". Someone is called "the little dwarf" and "the midget" in mocking ways. (The individual being called these things is not actually a person with dwarfism, he's
A boy tells an adult to "shut up."
Violence
Two boys get in a physical fight (no details about the actual blow) that results in one having a bloody nose, and the other having a scratch on the face from fingernails.
Threats of violence include guns several times.
Someone shoots a rifle at a boat from a distance, but doesn't hit anything or anyone.
A woman points a rifle at kids who she catches trying to steal something inside her home, but eventually puts the gun down. One of the boys then gets hold of the rifle and points it at the woman, but she reveals that the rifle doesn't actually work.
Victor carries a pistol, but never uses it.
In a moment of anger and desperation, Prosper gets hold of a hand gun and states that he's going to go threaten someone with it by sticking it in their face. He actually does point it at an adult, but is quickly talked into putting it down before he accidentally does something stupid.
A man drags a girl by the hair.
Someone threatens two boys with large, aggressive dogs.
Other:
Prosper and Bo's aunt and uncle are generally uncaring about children unless they're cute, small, and basically act like mini adults. If a child fails to meet that criteria, they are rejected whether they are blood relatives or not.
One boy's father is repeatedly condescending and verbally unkind to him.
The children capture and tie up an adult detective.
Three mentions of adults drinking port.
If it wasn't clear from the title and synopsis, there are instances of stealing and lying going on. Scipio is revealed to be stealing from his own home to provide for his orphan friends, but the fact that he lied and pretended he was actually stealing from anywhere and everywhere, obviously, influences some of the other children to want to actually steal from others. One of the boys is repeatedly scolded for pick-pocketing (an activity he clearly enjoys), and warned that he could get caught and arrested, but it's stated at the end of the story that he went back to that bad habit once the main adventure was over. Prosper repeatedly has to scold Bo for wanting to join Scipio in stealing things.
Magic:
Turns out that there is a light fantasy twist to this story not too long after the halfway point.
May 10, 2010
What a wonderful story!
My favorite character, aside from the kids, is Venice herself. Cornelia Funke has weaved her story so brilliantly in a gorgeous setting, describing the city as if it had its own personality. I think the story wouldn't be as awesome if it were set somewhere else. The mystery that is Venice, the beauty that is Venice... it took my breath away more than once. I also adore the simple illustrations that began each chapter, allowing us a glimpse of the wonderful world these kids live in.
Ah, the kids. My favorite out of the children has to be Prosper. I imagine him to be this sort-of emo kid who doesn't talk much but has very sharp wits and cares for his brother with his life. Um, maybe the emo part is not very cool, but I love him anyway. And what kind of name is Prosper? It sounds just splendid on your lips, doesn't it? I bet my Chinese grandparents would love that name.
The story itself is spellbinding, for me. I love to imagine how it would be, living in an abandoned movie theater with a bunch of friends. I imagined it a bit like August Rush and his hideout. Cornelia Funke has also created some action scenes that made my heart rush and my eyes read several lines at once, just because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.
Truly, though, the gold nugget lies with the story's characters. Victor the detective with his kindness and two pet tortoises, Ida the quirky bachelorette, and of course the Thief Lord himself, Scipio. Beautiful characters, with fun personalities.
The only problem that I sort of have with the book is the near ending, where the plot twist happens. The fantasy part was a bit out of tune with the rest of the book. I also didn't really like how Barbarossa got whatever he wanted--I'm a bit old fashioned, I think villains should be punished :p
But that said, the book managed to keep me up until 5.30 in the morning, and hopefully I'll dream of Venice tonight. How I long to run my fingers across the stone walls that hold so many stories! How I long to gaze at the proud winged lions that keep the city safe! How... strange that I am writing like this.
My favorite character, aside from the kids, is Venice herself. Cornelia Funke has weaved her story so brilliantly in a gorgeous setting, describing the city as if it had its own personality. I think the story wouldn't be as awesome if it were set somewhere else. The mystery that is Venice, the beauty that is Venice... it took my breath away more than once. I also adore the simple illustrations that began each chapter, allowing us a glimpse of the wonderful world these kids live in.
Ah, the kids. My favorite out of the children has to be Prosper. I imagine him to be this sort-of emo kid who doesn't talk much but has very sharp wits and cares for his brother with his life. Um, maybe the emo part is not very cool, but I love him anyway. And what kind of name is Prosper? It sounds just splendid on your lips, doesn't it? I bet my Chinese grandparents would love that name.
The story itself is spellbinding, for me. I love to imagine how it would be, living in an abandoned movie theater with a bunch of friends. I imagined it a bit like August Rush and his hideout. Cornelia Funke has also created some action scenes that made my heart rush and my eyes read several lines at once, just because I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.
Truly, though, the gold nugget lies with the story's characters. Victor the detective with his kindness and two pet tortoises, Ida the quirky bachelorette, and of course the Thief Lord himself, Scipio. Beautiful characters, with fun personalities.
The only problem that I sort of have with the book is the near ending, where the plot twist happens. The fantasy part was a bit out of tune with the rest of the book. I also didn't really like how Barbarossa got whatever he wanted--I'm a bit old fashioned, I think villains should be punished :p
But that said, the book managed to keep me up until 5.30 in the morning, and hopefully I'll dream of Venice tonight. How I long to run my fingers across the stone walls that hold so many stories! How I long to gaze at the proud winged lions that keep the city safe! How... strange that I am writing like this.
January 22, 2016
Absolute 5 Sterne! Eine unglaublich sch?ne Geschichte, mit viel Emotionen Witz und voll mit Liebe. Ich habe es als H?rbuch geh?rt es wurde so sch?n erz?hlt und die Musik zwischen den Kapiteln hat das ganze noch wirklicher erscheinen lassen. :) auf Cornelia Funke ist einfach immer Verlass!
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November 8, 2023this was my first favorite book and will always hold a special place in my heart. I wonder what younger me saw in its discussion of the privileges of adulthood vs the joys of childhood.
CW: parental death (past), m-slur (used for children, not little people), blackface
CW: parental death (past), m-slur (used for children, not little people), blackface
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