BIBLIOGRAPHY
Funke, Cornelia. 2000. THE THIEF LORD. Ill. by Author. Hamburg, Germany: Cecilie Dressler Verlag. ISBN: 0-439-42089-X
2003 BATCHELDER AWARD WINNER
PLOT SUMMARYThe Thief Lord is about two brothers, Prosper and Bo. After their mother dies, they run away from a mean aunt to Venice, Italy, the city their mother loved. There they meet Scipio, the thief lord, who lives in an abandoned movie theater with a gang of street kids. Prosper and Bo join Scipio and his band of orphans robbing the rich to support themselves. The Thief Lord has a secret, which begins to unfold when the detective hired by their aunt looks into the band of thieves and exposes Scipio’s secret. The final burglary begins an adventure that leads them to a magical merry-go-round that changes the destiny of all involved. Adventure, mystery, and magical fun!
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (Including Cultural Markers)
The Thief Lord is set in Venice, Italy which offers many cultural makers in the characters, language, setting and historical landmarks. Several of the character’s names are in Italian and Italian words used in the story are in italics. A glossary of Italian words used in The Thief Lord is located in the back of the book. There is a map of Venice at the beginning of the book which allows the reader to follow the adventures of the characters.
The characters of Scipio, Prosper, Bo, Hornet, Riccio, and Mosca provide vivid imagery of who they are. The book begins by introducing and developing the characters while building on their strengths and weaknesses. Cornelia Funke builds these characters allowing the reader to visualize, sympathize or despise them, while pulling the reader along on the adventure.
The predominate theme of the story that affects all the characters is belonging. This is evident in how Prosper feels about his little brother Bo. Scipio, as the leader, is truly concerned for the orphaned children and does what he can for their survival including stealing from his wealthy father. The detective and the photographer also get caught up in the street children’s plight and do what they can to help. Everyone is looking for a sense of security and each character offers insight to this characteristic throughout the story with the ending resulting in success for all. Funke also includes the need for friends and the importance of one’s actions, including the repercussions of these actions. Children will identify with these characters as they develop friendships and find the security they are looking for.
The story alludes to the fountain of youth and the adventure culminates with a magical merry-go-round that will let you move backwards or forward in time. This seemed to be an afterthought to me considering the story was realistic up to that point; however, choices were made, lives were changed and everyone received what they were looking for.
Corneila Funke illustrated the drawings at the beginning of each chapter using pen and ink depicting Italian architecture or landmarks discussed in that chapter. Cover illustration was done by Christian Birmingham. Venice map by Lothar Meier.
The Thief Lord is classified as international literature. The book’s original title was Herr der Diebe , published in German and was translated by Oliver Latsch into English. Since then the book has been translated into 53 languages in 49 countries. This book, though set in Italy, could be about characters and places anywhere in the world, thus appealing to all children and adults around the world.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
From Publishers Weekly
Wacky characters bring energy to this translation of an entertaining German novel about thieving children, a disguise-obsessed detective and a magical merry-go-round. After their mother dies, 12-year-old Prosper and his brother, Bo, five, flee from Hamburg to Venice (an awful aunt plans to adopt only Bo). They live in an abandoned movie theater with several other street children under the care of the Thief Lord, a cocky youth who claims to rob "the city's most elegant houses." A mysterious man hires the Thief Lord to steal a wooden wing, which the kids later learn has broken off a long-lost merry-go-round said to make "adults out of children and children out of adults," but the plan alters when Victor, the detective Aunt Esther hired to track the brothers, discovers their camp and reveals that the Thief Lord is actually from a wealthy family. There are a lot of story lines to follow, and the pacing is sometimes off (readers may feel that Funke spends too little time on what happens when the children find the carousel, and too much on the ruse they pull on Prosper's aunt). But between kindhearted Victor and his collection of fake beards, the Thief Lord in his mask and high-heeled boots, and a rascally street kid who loves to steal, Prosper's new world abounds with colorful characters. The Venetian setting is ripe for mystery and the city's alleys and canals ratchet up the suspense in the chase scenes. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8-A popular German author makes a strong English-language debut with this tale of a group of orphaned and fugitive children trying to eke out a furtive existence on the watery "streets" of modern Venice. Funke brings together a large but not indigestible array of adults and children, several of whom, thanks to a bit of magic near the end, switch roles. To keep from being separated after their parents' death, young Prosper spirits his little brother Boniface to fabled Venice, which their mother had always described as a magical place. Quickly falling in with a trio of other orphans, presided over by Scipio, a masked lad who styles himself a master thief, the children become embroiled in a complex set of captures, escapes, squabbles, revelations, and subplots. At the end, they find not only an agreeable new home, but also literal proof of their city's magical reputation, for on a nearby island, an ancient, fragile carousel is found that can spin old people young, and vice versa. Funke delineates her characters and the changing textures of their relationships with masterful subtlety, as well as sometimes-puckish humor. It's a compelling tale, rich in ingenious twists, with a setting and cast that will linger in readers' memories.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. There are shards of wonderful stories in this ambitious narrative, but they don't quite cohere into a shimmering whole. That said, this is still a pretty nifty adventure set as brilliantly in its Venetian setting as a baroque pearl. Twelve-year-old Prosper and five-year-old Boniface cling to the stories their mother told them of Venice, with its winged lions and rooftop angels. After her death, they run away from Hamburg and their pinch-faced relatives to Venice, where a motley crew of children, living in an abandoned movie theatre, takes them in. The leader is Scipio, the Thief Lord, who directs the petty thievery and acts as older brother to the group. Victor, a gentle detective, has been hired to find the brothers, and he does so quickly, but is bemused by their ragtag family and is loathe to hand them over to the aunt. Funke beguiles young readers as she paints the city of Venice in exquisite strokes; the affection between the brothers is sweetly rendered. However, a fantasy element surfaces barely 100 pages from the end where it startles and distracts. It fits with the Venetian setting but not with the structure of the story. This German import is a popular choice in Europe. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Awards
2003 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for Outstanding Translated Book
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
Parenting Magazine Book of the Year
Zurich Children's Book Award
Book Award from the Vienna House of Literature
Swiss Youth Literature Award
New York Times Bestseller and Notable Book
USA Today Bestseller
Book Sense Book of the Year Award
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
ALA Notable Children's Book
NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Art
Winner of the 2005 Young Readers Choice Award (Senior Division)
CONNECTIONS
Ask students to write their own creative stories entitled "A Ride on the Magical Merry-Go-Round." Would they choose to be younger again, or to be older? Ask them to imagine what life would be like for them if they were suddenly younger or older. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of their new age? Would they become a different age if they knew there was no changing back?
Other Cornelia Funke novels:
Funke, Cornelia.2005.DRAGON RIDER. ISBN10: 9781904442486 ISBN13: 978-1905294022
Funke, Cornelia.2005. INKHEART. ISBN10: 9780439709101 ISBN13: 978-0439709101
Other Stories About Children in Fantastical Circumstances
Snicket, Lemony.1999.A Series of Unfortunate Events. ISBN10: 006075589X ISBN13: 978-0064407663
Levine, Gail Carson.2004.Ella Enchanted. ISBN10: 0060558865 ISBN13: 978-060558864
Colfer,Eoin.2009.Artemis Fowl. ISBN10: 9781423124528 ISBN13: 978-1423124528
Web sites
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (video clip interview). Bookstream Inc./Bookwrap. http://a1110.g.akamai.net/7/1110/5507/v002/bookstream.download.akamai.com/5507/bw/bs/0439531640/b1/default_wm.htm (accessed on May 26, 2004). "Talking with Cornelia Funke: Cornelia Funke Interview." AudioFile
http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/features/A1222.html (accessed on May 27, 2004). Wyss, Trudy. "Hey American Kids, Meet Cornelia Funke: A Beloved German Children's Author Makes Her U.S. Debut." Borders Books.
http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=funke (accessed on May 27, 2004).
Read more: Cornelia Funke Biography - life, children, name, story, history, school, young, book, old, information, born, college http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ca-Ge/Funke-Cornelia.html#ixzz1OhKnGh6p
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