Two runaway brothers hide in Venice with a gang of street kids led by a mysterious young thief
Runaways in Venice
After their mother dies, twelve-year-old Prosper and his little brother, Bo, run away from their aunt, who wants to adopt only Bo, and escape to Venice, the city their mother loved. They join a group of street children who live in an abandoned movie theater and are led by Scipio, a masked boy who calls himself the Thief Lord. A detective is hired to find the brothers, and a strange job leads everyone to a secret island.
Who will enjoy it
Middle-grade readers and families who enjoy adventure, friendship and a touch of magic in a real, atmospheric city.
What you will get
An atmospheric adventure through the canals and alleys of Venice, about loyalty, found family and growing up, with a dash of magic that sneaks up on you.
The Thief Lord Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · Venice · Runaways · Magic
Length
376 pages · ≈ 11 h
More about this book
Prosper and Bo are orphans. Their aunt Esther in Hamburg wants to keep five-year-old Bo, who has blond curls and a sweet face, but send Prosper away. Unwilling to be separated, the boys run off to Venice, the magical city their mother described in her stories. There they are taken in by a small band of street kids, including clever Hornet, practical Riccio and Mosca, who live in a closed-down movie theater and survive by selling things stolen by their leader, Scipio, the Thief Lord.
Meanwhile Esther hires Victor Getz, a kind-hearted private detective with a passion for disguises and pet tortoises, to find the brothers. Victor soon realizes he likes the children much more than his clients. Scipio, who has secrets of his own, accepts a mysterious commission from a man called the Conte: steal a carved wooden wing from a wealthy photographer's house. The theft leads the children to the Isola Segreta, an island in the lagoon, and to an old merry-go-round said to have the power to change a person's age. The magic arrives late, but it changes everything.
Warm, suspenseful and full of Venetian atmosphere. About 376 pages in paperback, translated from German by Oliver Latsch.
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