| The Thief Lord tells the story of a group of kids on the streets of Venice, supported by a boy named Scipio, who calls himself “The Thief Lord”. Scipio provides all they need by stealing from the wealthy houses of Venice. As the story begins two young boys, Prosper and Bo join the group after running away from their aunt and uncle. A detective, Victor Getz, has been hired by their aunt and uncle to find the boys so they can adopt Bo.
In the meantime, The Thief Lord is offered a job he cannot refuse. In trying to carry out this job, Viktor starts to catch up to Prosper and Bo and Scipio is eventually revealed as a pampered rich boy, who steals only from his father, and is trying to escape his own life. The children decide to carry on with the job without Scipio and find out that what they are trying to steal is a piece of a magic carousel. This carousel can make the old young and the young old with only a ride on it. Scipio, determined not to be left out, ends up taking a ride on the carousel and growing into a man. Viktor finds Prosper and Bo and tries to turn them back to their aunt, who after a day with Bo, decides she does not want them anymore. They end up living with a friend, Ida Spavento, along with the other children, Hornet, Riccio, and Mosca. Scipio becomes an apprentice to Viktor and as his fame as a detective grows, he starts being known as “The Thief Lord”, not because he steals from rich families, but because it is said that he is respected and feared by all thieves, and can slip through houses in search of clues without leaving a trace. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - upbeat Time/era of story - 2000+ (Present Day) Kids growing up/acting up? Yes Kids: - struggling to earn a living to survive Is this an adult or child's book? - Age 7-10 Age group of kid(s) in story: - grade school Parents/lack of parents problem? Wild kid(s)? - committing crimes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - a kid Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - none Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 7 () Europe Yes European country: - Italy City? Yes City: - dirty, grimy (like New York) Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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