The Thief Lord

By: Cornelia Funke

Narrated by: Simon Jones

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy, where hidden canals and crumbling rooftops shelter runaways and children with incredible secrets...

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.

©2001 Oliver Latsch; 2000 Cornelia Funke (P)2000 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, An Imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

Book Sense Book of the Year Award Winner, Children's Literature, 2003

"It's a compelling tale, rich in ingenious twists, with a setting and cast that will linger in [listeners'] memories." (School Library Journal)

"Brilliantly narrated by Simon Jones, this enchanting tale of adventure, mischief, and magical outcomes is utterly charming.... This blend of Jones’s practiced storytelling and the magic of Funke’s lovely tale will leave you spellbound." (AudioFile)

Excellent recording, excellent book!

My daughter and I loved this book so much we have heard it several times since it was published, and have given it as a gift to many others! Great, imaginative story, wonderful characters, wonderful narrator, all round great success! It inspired my daughter to do a project for school on Venice and to ask many times to visit!

An old favorite that still delivers

I've probably listened to this book 2-3 hundred times over the years. Cornelia Funke's storytelling paints beautiful pictures of Venice in my mind and Simon Jones' performance is wonderful; I could listen to him every day!

Very Good

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the story line was brilliant and the characters were magnificent. I was not, bowever a huge fan of the narrator. His voice for Hornet kind of got on my nerves and the pronunciation of Scipio was slightly unforgivable, but other than that, definately listen to this.

Guide to the perils of being a runaway

Good adventure story engaging characters strong sense of practicality and a happy ending- what more could you want😎

It was absolutely amazing !😍

I loved this book because it involved a lot of mystery. Cornelia was amazing! I also loved the amazing names like, for example, Massimoe and Scipio.

Cornelia Funke hasn't disappointed me yet!

loved it! She has never failed to deliver a story with characters that are so easy to love, and so easy to hate!

Always loved this Book

Ever since I have read it... I listen to it all the time. Reading is one of the best coping skills, this book is full of imagination and dreams and the possibilities to going back or fast forwarding a person's life... will always be one of my favorites.

thief lord

very good story for my boys, 11 and 13; we have a beastly commute, the first thing they want to do when we climb into the car is to check in w/ the story!!!

venice at it's best

Great scenes of the lovely city. Wonderful children portraits. The end twist is really unexpected.

A Satisfying Fantasy

What better setting for a story about children cut loose from the world of adults than a decaying abandoned movie theater with a fading curtain filled with stars? And if it is in the legendary city of Venice, so much the better.

Two orphaned brothers, Prosper and Bo, escape their rich aunt Esther and join a small band of three other children whose leader calls himself the Thief Lord. He keeps his gang fed and clothed by selling things he brings back from his nightly expeditions. An unscrupulous antiques dealer named Barbarossa haggles with them before buying items he wants. They tolerate his thievery as a necessary cost of their freedom.

A detective, Victor Goetz, was hired to locate the brothers. Aunt Esther Hartlieb, wanted him to bring her Boniface, the younger brother. She wished to adopt the child (though not his older brother).

Victor does find the boys, and their new gang, but they capture him and befriend him, turning him into their ally. The Thief Lord, whose name is Scipio, agrees to a job to steal a carved wooden wing. This starts a series of fantastic adventures, including a magical merry-go-round on one of the countless islands surrounding the city.

The author resolves the difficulties in clever ways that I found fitting. I recommend this book for people with imaginations that are still in working order.