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    The Thief Lord
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    The Thief Lord
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    The Thief Lord
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Thief Lord

    Written by Cornelia Funke

    Narrated by Simon Jones

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their cruel aunt and uncle. The brothers decide to hide out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious thirteen-year-old boy who calls himself the "Thief Lord." Brilliant and charismatic, the Thief Lord leads a ring of street children who dabble in petty crimes. Prosper and Bo delight in being part of this colorful new family. But the Thief Lord has secrets of his own. And soon the boys are thrust into circumstances that will lead them to a fantastic, spellbinding conclusion.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 17, 2002
    ISBN9780807209783
    Unavailable
    The Thief Lord
    Author

    Cornelia Funke

    Cornelia Funke tells stories for all ages—as storytellers do—for book eaters and those who don’t succumb easily to printed magic. She is the bestselling author of Dragon Rider, The Thief Lord, and the Inkworld and MirrorWorld series. She lives in Malibu, California, on her avocado farm with her donkeys, ducks, and dogs. Learn more about Cornelia at her website: www.corneliafunke.com.

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    Reviews for The Thief Lord

    4/5

    1,796 ratings111 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I've had this book on my shelves since I was a young child. I attempted to read it, but ended up "abandoning" it for a while. I eventually got to reading it and loved it! The only complaint I have is the ending. It felt rushed. I was pretty PO-ed.
    • 4/5


      I do love this book. The characters are deeply nuanced, and mostly quite believable. Action keeps the story moving, and show the reader quite a lot about how the characters grow and change.






      Spoiler space - my one problem.












      The one magical/fantasy element was a bit of a shock. The entire rest of the book was (relatively) realistic, so finding this bit of magic that really worked felt forced to me. Perhaps it works better for a younger or less jaded reader :) The characters did talk about Venice being a magical city. Frankly, the story worked so well, even with that jarring bit, perhaps it was designed to stand out. It certainly startled the characters involved!
    • 3/5
      A story of brotherly love trumping all else and of a group of kids banding together to take care of each other. And how some people who aren't your family can care more about you than your own family does.
    • 2/5
      This book was good, a literary gem, but it was also a whole lot of "what?"
      To even attempt to explain the plot progression would give me a headache. How? It went from a realistic and fun adventure of two kids in the streets of Venice to "what?"This whole book just feels like a fever dream that may or may not have been drug induced.
    • 3/5
      it is good
    • 5/5
      An ensnaring book.
    • 3/5
      I loved Cornelia Funke's Inkheart series so very much. I say that because everytime I read one of her books I am trying to recapture that beauty and depth. This book is a good book, and one that I am sure that young readers will enjoy.
    • 5/5
      good book ending was a little odd though but it still was exciting and spectacular
    • 4/5
      I'd really prefer the story without magic, but, nevertheless, I liked it as it is. I liked the characters, humour and even absurdity of some of the plot twists.
    • 4/5
      Really good read, sad at times but compelling, all the characters are well thought out, and the depictions of Venice really made me want to go!
    • 3/5
      When I read the translations of Cornelia Funke's books (so the Inkworld books and this...) I feel like there's something missing. It might have got lost in translation or it might not have been there in the first place, but whichever it is, something doesn't feel quite right about this. There are some lovely descriptions and ideas in Cornelia Funke's work, it just somehow doesn't appeal to me. And I know her work is targeted at younger people, but I read plenty of YA lit and it doesn't have this effect.

      I felt there was something more lacking about The Thief Lord than about the Inkworld books. I'm pretty sure it's older, but regardless, it's not quite up to that standard. The idea is interesting, but it doesn't seem to quite mesh with the world that she writes about -- at first, for more than the first half of the book even, Venice is entirely as in reality (give or take improbable orphans) with fantastical stories, but reality more or less as we know it. The Magical Roundabout doesn't seem to quite fit in with that for me, even though it does for the characters, because that's full of a kind of magic that I can't see in the rest of the descriptions of Venice.

      I love the relationships between some of the characters here, in theory. For example, Bo and Prosper -- there's not much that gets me in fiction more than that kind of brotherly devotion in a relationship. But it just didn't click with me, the characters didn't feel real.

      It's a nice enough read, not too heavy, but I guess I just didn't feel a "click" with it. Not quite my thing, maybe.
    • 2/5
      A book that makes being a homeless (for a bit) kid in Venice sound like a lark. There are some pretty big holes in the plot, but I think they are balanced by a loving, detailed portrait of Venice.
    • 4/5
      I was not expecting the mature themes I found in the Thief Lord. I had thought to find more derring-do and adventure, and while there is some of that, the focus of this story is the not so easy life of a collection of orphans, how they carve a place in the world for themselves and how that world eventually changes. In short, this is a story about growing up and what that really means to both children and adults.There is a lot of excitement and mystery in this novel and the story picks up and never really stops moving. Each chapter entices you to read more by showing you in detail the ophan's lives and the charming Thief Lord. Every time one riddle is solved, a new one takes its place, always backed by the one big question, "Just who is the Thief Lord?". I kept promising myself one more chapter and ended up finishing it one sitting. In all the adventure, romantic history and whimsy are some very real moments where the kids worry about starving, being slaves and getting captured. I was impressed with how the 'villains' were portrayed - as simply very flawed people and not 'bad' people. Many children have different reasons to want to "run away from home" at some time or another. Funke makes Thief Lord a kind of cautionary tale, not by being preachy, but by showing the realities of what happens when children are on their own in the world with no one to look after them. I do wish that some of the characters full histories were revealed; they weren't necessary to enjoy the story but there were quite a few teasing hints that are never followed up on. I also believe that Prosper is a saint. The amount of patience that boy has is astounding. I know that I would have bawled my eyes out if I had read this as a kid. As it was (in my twenties) I was rather misty eyed from time to time but I also smiled often too.Context Free Quote: Riccio self-consciously his his face between his soft toys. "From the Salute Church," he mumbled. "There are hundreds, probably thousands lying around there. So it doesn't really matter if I take a few every now and then. Why should we spend our precious money on candles? I swear," he grinned at Hornet, "I always blow a kiss for each one."
    • 5/5
      Brilliant book. I loved it because it was so fresh. It didn't follow the plot pattern of any other book, and you really did not know what was going to happen. Also, who can resist Venice and such loveable characters?
    • 5/5
      omg. thats all i can say. just great. so sad when it ended
    • 4/5
      Cornelia Funke's young-adult classic, "The Thief Lord" is a wonderful amalgam of Annie, Harry Potter, Oliver Twist and Peter Pan based in the true-to-life fantasy-land of Venice, Italy.The story centers around the run away brothers Prosper and Bo, whose mother recently passed away but left her boys with vivid stories of a city without streets and only canals, boats instead of cars, and palaces interspersed with a never-ending maze of teetering homes. Their Aunt Esther is only interested in adopting the younger Bo, and when faced with the prospect of being separated, the boys run from their native Germany to the Venice of their mother's bedtime tales. The boys hook up with a colorful band of other homeless children, led by the enigmatic leader Scipio, known as The Thief Lord. Using a recently abandoned movie theater as their home, the children have carved out a reasonable existence for themselves, until Aunt Esther employs Venice detective Victor Getz to track down Prosper and Bo. The homeless children engender the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, while a combination of character qualities encapsulate Peter Pan himself. The story is actually quite simple and reads very quickly at almost 350 pages. My 7th-grade son read the book in advance of our family trip to Venice and couldn't wait for me to read it as well. My 4th grader shouldn't have any problem with the readability and concepts, and I think even my High Schooler will enjoy the simple innocence of the characters as well as the solidly colorful sense of Venice that Funke provides. The sweet spot for the story is probably high-reading 4th graders through 6th grade. And I'd highly recommend this for any children traveling to Venice.There's a rather dramatic shift towards fantasy in the last third of the book. It took me by surprise, since the first two-thirds are quite realistic and down to earth. At first thrown off and not particularly appreciating the shift, I've found myself thinking about the conclusions and simple messages of the story and found myself rather liking it. While rich with the emotions of the homeless children, Prosper and Scipio in particular, the story is very appropriate for most ages, with no violence, and clear children's-story morality.
    • 3/5
      This was a good but strange book for me. The book goes between two points of view; Victor Getz, a private detective in Venice who's hired to find two runaways and the two runaways, boys named Prosper and Bo. Prosper and Bo recently lost their parents and were taken in by their aunt who wasn't terribly concerned with either of them and they run away to Venice, which they mother always spoke about in terms of magic. The boys find safety with a group of runaways that have a leader known as the Thief Lord. This is a solid book but it has some moments of uneven tone as it seems unclear if it wants to be an honest look at the hard life of runaways or instead a magical book about Venice. I would recommend this book for a middle grade reader as I think a more experienced reader who prefers Riordan, Nix or Rowling would pick up on the unevenness.
    • 3/5
      This book is about a group of orphans and a thief. Prosper and Bo and two brothers who an away from home to Venice. They run into a group of orphans and, their leader is a theif. He steals from rich homes and gives them what he steals. Later in the book, you find out that the thief lord is a fraud. They are making a good living off their stolen tresures until Prosper's and Bo's aunt and uncle hire a detective to find them. If they find the brothers they will also find the other orphanes. Now they must be extra carefull in where they go but you can always count on the Theif Lord to keep them safe!This is probably one of my favorite books. I like this book so much because there are theifs involved. I especially enjoy how the Theif Lord just sneaks around houses without being caught. This book was a decent size for me. The only thing I did not understand was that the last two chapters involve magic. The book is not even about magic until the end. Although the end makes no sense I enjoyed this book as one of my favorites. I recomend this book for people who like mystery books.
    • 5/5
      Very interesting book. ;))
    • 5/5
      This was one of my favorite books to read on my own time growing up. I loved how I could get completely lost in a world away from home. I was thrilled at the concept of being one of the characters on their own, running around the city every day and fighting for my own survival. The twists in the story always kept me hooked on every word. This book lets its readers run through the venitian city, scamper through the dusty rows of the old theater, and row in boats to islands that hide precious fantasy merry-go-rounds. It's easy to transform yourself into a hungry child fighting for food and other necessitities on the street -- to view the world from their perspective and become excited at the very things that excite them. For those who don't like to call themselves readers, this book will change their mind. Packed with mystery, suspense, action, and good old running from the authority adrenaline, this story will captivate any young reader (and many older readers as well).
    • 4/5
      Loved this book! Funke has been one of my favourite authors since i was a kid. Wish she would right more! z
    • 3/5
      This book was definitely a children's book with some extremely improbable and unusual situations but it was a fun read nonetheless. The kids really loved the Italian thrown in here and there as well as the references and descriptions of Venice. The storyline was incredibly unique with many strange twists and turns. Overall a good children's book.
    • 4/5
      Please ignore the horrible movie--this book is great. First of all, it's set in Venice; secondly, it's about a bunch of kids who do fine without adults around. It's a great read-aloud for younger kids and an engrossing adventure.
    • 4/5
      Young brothers Prosper and Bo are on the run in Venice, having escaped their aunt Esther who intends to separate them. Esther hires Victor, a private investigator, to find them. Soon Victor finds himself in the middle of a complex plot involving orphans, mysterious counts, and a certain Thief Lord with secrets of his own. Though the fantasy element was an interesting treatment of classic Bradbury, it came out of nowhere and left me a little cold. If the story leading up to that part hadn't been so thoroughly within the realm of Realistic Fiction it would not have been quite so jarring. That said, it was still a fun little tale with likable characters, and I am still a little bit in love with Scipio.
    • 5/5
      It's like robin hood only set in Venice and the outlaws are little kids. This is my favorite book from this great author. Its magical and entertaining for kids and adults.
    • 4/5
      I first watched the movie, and after finding out that it was based on a book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. And I wasn't disappointed; the movie stuck remarkably close to the book, so if you're reading the book after you see the film, you'll enjoy one as much as the other.If there's one place that fantastical YA and children's stories tend to fail, it's in their characterization of adults. Cornelia Funke's novel does not suffer from this: adults gripe and grumble about things, feed their pets, smoke, handle guns, and actually act very much like adults instead of just obstacles in a kid's path or else a convenience means to a kid's end. Or like overgrown kids.Except for Barbarossa. He's definitely an overgrown kid, and that's his character, so the author can't be faulted on that.The diversity of characters and the way Funke can portray complex emotional reactions and situations without going overboard in the prose is also something to be commended. The languaged used is simple, direct, and clear, and yes, it is a translation from another language into English, but I'm working under the assumption that it's a good translation and therefore carries the feel of the original work.The story is well-told, and you don't even know that there's a touch of fantasy about the book until near the very end, which works very well at adding to the credibility of the whole story. There's magic, it's real, it touches them for a brief moment and then is gone, but leaves a profound effect on all of the characters.If you enjoy well-told YA/children's stories, and/or you enjoyed watching the film based on the book, then you'll love The Thief Lord. Don't miss your chance to give it a try!
    • 3/5
      Good, but with a couple of jarring points that have been covered in the other reviews. The resolution of each child's story reminded me a bit of The Secret Garden, where you spend the first half of the book learning the character of one child, and then resolve everything with an entirely different child. A peculiar weakness that leaves one feeling that the book isn't really finished.
    • 4/5
      Pages read: 376Summary:The novel, The Theif Lord by conelia Funke, encompasses themes of growing up inside a world where you would have to be responsible for your actions and yourself while looking for a place where you belong. In the beginning, Prosper and Bo, the protagonists struggle with trying to get through everyday life living as runaways and hiding from a detective, who searches throughout the city, for them. Throughout the middle, they persevere through hard times by looking for Scorpio, their leader, and learning about eachother's pasts. By the end, both of the protagonists learn that the money that they receive from Conte were conterfeit and that they had to live with being seperated from most of their own group.
    • 2/5
      The thief lord takes a setting in Venice,Italy.It is about two brothers who are stuck in Italy, and joins a group of kids who are stuck like them also. They are leaded by a mysterious leader called the Thief Lord. Also a dectective is called up to track down the brothers.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book, it's been a long time since i've read it but i remember its a great book that i read over and over about 6 times. that was 4 years ago, i loved the two boys i can't remember there names my favourite was the thief lord, i loved how he wasn't really a thief that he was posh. i loved that book i'm gonna read it again now to remember then edit this. lol.oh i remember now, prosper and bo! :P i loved bo and they lived in that cinema i loved it becuaset the writing was great, the plor was brillant it had magic twisted in the story, the characters personalitys were written perfectly i could imagine bo being my friend nearly everyone in my year (we were 7-9 at the time) had a crush on him or possper. the author made you fall in love with the all the kids in the book, including the inspector. 5/5 amazing one of my favourites ever!