| Two brothers run away from their home after the death of their mother, when they learn of their aunt's plan to separate them. The brothers join a small group of orphans living in an abandoned movie theatre in Venice. The orphans' theatre home and all the bare necessities of their lives are provided for them by another child who calls himself the Thief Lord. The Thief Lord comes and goes as he pleases, never staying the night in the theatre, and when he comes he brings stolen merchandise and wonderful stories of the mansions and palaces he has robbed. To earn their keep, all the Thief Lord asks the children to do is to take the stolen goods to a disreputable antique dealer who acts as their 'fence,' and collect the money he offers.
A detective, hired by the brothers' aunt, discovers the location of the theatre and the brothers and, by chance, he discovers the real identity of the Thief Lord. When the orphans learn of this identity, their relationship with the Thief Lord changes. As the detective gets to know the orphans his role also changes, from their potential enemy to their friend, protector and benefactor. During one of their visits to the antique dealer to sell some of the Thief Lord's plunder, the dealer gives the children a message for the Thief Lord: an anonymous Italian Count wants the Thief Lord to steal a particular item for him and is offering a very generous price for its delivery. This leads to a clandestine meeting between the Count and The Thief Lord and, eventually, to the home of a famous photographer who possesses the seemingly worthless item that the Count wants stolen. The robbery attempt is foiled by the photographer herself and, when she learns what it is that the children are being paid to steal, she begins to understand this mysterious Count's motive for wanting the object. The photographer tells the children a story she heard when she was herself only a child; the story involves a carousel that was stolen from an orphanage -- a carousel that is said to have magical properties. The orphans gain another ally in the photographer and together they hatch a plot to follow the Count and discover the location of the missing, perhaps magical carousel. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book - humorous or laughable FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy story on current Earth Coming of age Yes Youngster becomes - a thief Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14) Descript. of chases or violence - 30 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20 % Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - a kid Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Earth setting: - 20th century Takes place on Earth? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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