The Thief Lord

A Review/Teaser by Milo

This story is set in Venice, Italy, a magical town where it is believed that anything is possible. At least, that’s what Prosper (12) and Bo (5), The Thief Lord’s narrators think. They ran away to Venice after their mother died, because she always used to tell them beautiful stories about it and they needed somewhere to go to escape their horrible Aunt Esther, who wanted to split them up. However, after just a few short days, they realize that they can’t live on Prosper’s pitifully small amount of allowance money for long. The boys are saved when Hornet, a girl of about Prosper’s age, who is also a member of a band of thieves, discovers them. They go back to where the rest of the thieves live; (as it turns out, not technically a band but only two other kids) in an abandoned movie theater called the Stella. They are provided for by Scipio, self-proclaimed Thief Lord and also only a child. He steals loot from homes and galleries, and gives it to the group to sell to a shop owner named Barbarossa, who then sells it for way more than he paid for it. Then one day, Barbarossa gives them an odd message for the Thief Lord. Someone who calls himself “The Conte” wants him to steal an item from a small home in Venice. The item (an old wooden wing, perhaps off of a statue) has no value to anyone except him, or so he says. Then, their Aunt Esther sends detective Victor Getz after them. They capture him, but he escapes after giving them his word of honor that he won’t tell Prosper and Bo’s Aunt where they are. Shortly after, a secret comes out about Scipio, and the group ostracizes him. The Conte is willing to pay five million lire to whoever brings him the wing, so the group decides to go without Scipio. However, Scipio has his own plans, which may interfere with the groups’. Everyone is stuck when the wing’s owner, Ida Spavento, comes home and catches them in the act. She then explains that the wing comes from a magical item that can make children grow up and grown ups turn back into children. Scipio is determined to find it and turn into an adult, so he won’t feel as small and weak. Signora Spavento decides that they should give the Conte the wing and collect the money, and then follow him to find the item. Prosper doesn’t want Bo to come, so they leave him at the Stella with Hornet. While they ar gone, the police come and take Bo to his Aunt, and Hornet to the orphanage where Ida Spavento grew up and learned of the magical item. That is also where she found the wing, and the nuns who ran the orphanage allowed her to keep it. Victor and Ida disguise themselves and get Hornet out of their. Bo runs away from his Aunt and Uncle, and goes back to the Stella, but he doesn’t realize that no one is there because Signora Spavento allowed the group to stay at her house. Victor finds him there, looking for his kittens that Scipio gave him. Victor takes him back to find that Prosper is missing, as is Scipio. They have gone to find the magical item, but they are locked in a stable for a night and no one knows where they are. Will they find the item? If the do, will it really be able to turn them into adults? Read the book to find out!