The Thief Lord facts for kids

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The Thief Lord
English book cover by in English from Chicken House Publishing, Ltd and Scholastic.
Author	Cornelia Funke
Original title	Herr der Diebe
Translator	Oliver Latsch
Illustrator	Cornelia Funke
Country	Germany
Language	Translated to English
Genre	Fantasy/adventure
Pages	345

The Thief Lord is an exciting children's novel. It was written by Cornelia Funke. The book first came out in Germany in 2000. Later, Oliver Latsch translated it into English in 2002. It was published by The Chicken House, part of Scholastic. This popular story was also made into a movie in 2006.

Story Summary

The Thief Lord tells the tale of two brothers. Their names are Prosper and Boniface, or Bo. They run away to the beautiful city of Venice, Italy. There, they meet a group of street children. These kids live in an old, unused movie theater called the Stella.

The Thief Lord's Secret

The group is led by a proud orphan named Scipio. He seems to be a skilled thief. He steals valuable items, and the children sell them. They sell these items to a tricky shopkeeper, Ernesto Barbarossa. One day, a customer named the Conte asks the "Thief Lord" for a special item. He wants a wooden lion's wing.

Meanwhile, Prosper and Bo's aunt and uncle are looking for them. They hire a detective named Victor Getz. Victor spots the boys and talks to little Bo. Bo accidentally mentions living in old movie theaters. When the other children see Victor, they create a distraction. They run away, even taking Victor's wallet!

A Surprising Discovery

Victor searches for the theater. He visits the home of Dottor Massimo. Dottor Massimo owns the Stella theater. There, Victor sees Scipio. He realizes that Scipio is actually Dottor Massimo's son. This means Scipio is not a poor orphan.

When Victor finds the Stella, the children try to stop him. Prosper talks to Scipio. He learns that Scipio really is Dottor Massimo's son. While they are talking, Victor escapes. He leaves a note saying he won't tell their secret. But only if they don't steal the lion's wing.

The Magical Merry-Go-Round

That night, the children decide to steal the wing anyway. They go to the house of a woman named Ida Spavento. Inside, they find Scipio, who also wants the wing. Their noise wakes Ida. She confronts them with an old rifle.

The children explain why they are there. Ida then tells them about the wing. It came from a magical merry-go-round. This special ride can change a person's age. Ida agrees to let them have the wing. But only if she can go with them to the exchange.

The Exchange and a Problem

The next night, most of the children go for the deal. Hornet and Bo stay behind. The others join Ida and Scipio. They meet the Conte and his sister, Morosina. They make the exchange. The group follows the Conte through many islands. They end up on a secret island called Isola Segretta.

They watch the Conte and Morosina unload the wing. They then go inside. Suddenly, Ida drops her binoculars into the water. The sound travels to the island. Morosina rushes out with a shotgun and two large dogs. She fires randomly into the night. The group quickly leaves.

Trouble and New Plans

They return to the theater. Hornet and Bo are gone. They left a note saying police were at the door. The children angrily confront Victor. He tells them he didn't call the police. He also tells them the money they got is fake.

While looking for Hornet and Bo, they find Hornet at an orphanage. They manage to get her out. But Bo is not there. They spend a restless night at Ida's house. Prosper can't sleep. He goes outside and meets Scipio. Scipio says they will get their money back.

They go back to the island. The Conte's sister catches them climbing a wall. Prosper and Scipio get locked in a smelly stable. Meanwhile, Victor gets a call from Esther. She says she had Bo, but he ran away. Victor finds Bo at the Stella. He takes him back to Ida's. There, they find Prosper is missing.

The Merry-Go-Round's Power

The next morning, Scipio and Prosper meet the Conte and Morosina. They are both young children! The magical merry-go-round worked. Scipio demands a ride. He gets on and comes off as an adult.

Just as he steps off, Barbarossa arrives. He was the one who found the Conte. He also hired the Thief Lord. Barbarossa gets on the merry-go-round. He becomes a seven-year-old boy. But he accidentally breaks the magical ride.

Scipio and Prosper leave. They promise the Conte they won't tell about the merry-go-round. Barbarossa is forced to give the Conte all the money from his shop safe.

New Lives for Everyone

The next day, everyone at Ida's house finds Prosper, Scipio, and Barbarossa. They don't recognize Scipio or Barbarossa. Prosper can't explain. Scipio sets up a meeting between Barbarossa and Esther. Esther loves Barbarossa's manners. She decides to adopt him.

Prosper, Bo, and Hornet decide to live with Ida. They start going to school. Mosca and Riccio live in an abandoned warehouse. Scipio decides to work for Victor.

Later, Scipio and Prosper visit Isola Segreta again. The Conte and Morosina have disappeared. Esther eventually catches Barbarossa stealing her jewelry. She sends him to boarding school. There, he becomes a mean bully. He makes other kids do his homework. He also encourages them to steal. He forces them to call him "The Thief Lord."

Scipio, as an adult, works for Victor. He becomes Victor's assistant in his detective agency. He is finally free from his father's unkindness.

Characters

Scipio Massimo

(Pronounced ship-ee-oh) He is known as The Thief Lord. Only Bo is allowed to call him 'Scip'. He is thirteen years old. He has dark brown eyes and black hair. He wears a mask he found. Scipio is secretly the son of Dottor Massimo. He is smart and quick-witted. His father treats him badly. This makes him want to be older. So, he rides the magical merry-go-round. Scipio is kind-hearted, especially to poor children. He also likes cats. After becoming an adult, he leaves his father. He becomes Victor's assistant. He changes his name to Scipio Fortunato, meaning "the fortunate one."

Prosper Hartlieb

Prosper is a 12-year-old orphan. He is Bo's older brother. He cares deeply for his friends and especially for Bo. Prosper has dark hair. He often looks very serious. He worries a lot but is very mature. Prosper is sensitive and doesn't like stealing. He makes sure Bo doesn't steal. Since his mother died, he has taken care of Bo. His nickname in the book is "Prop."

Boniface Hartlieb

Also known as Bo, Boniface is a 5-year-old orphan. He ran away to Venice with Prosper. He has blond hair and an "angelic face." He looks up to Scipio. He wants to be just like him, which worries Prosper.

Caterina 'Hornet' Grimani

Hornet is the only girl in the Stella cinema group. She used to live with Riccio and Mosca. Scipio found them and brought them to the Stella. She is thin with a long brown braid. Her braid looks like a hornet's stinger, which gave her the nickname. Hornet loves to read. She sometimes reads to the other orphans. She is the only one who isn't afraid to stand up to Scipio. Hornet has parents but chooses not to live with them.

Riccio

(Pronounced Ree-choh) Riccio is a small, skinny boy. He has brown hair that sticks out everywhere. This earned him his nickname, Hedgehog. He has missing teeth from a chase. His bed is full of stuffed animals and comics. He grew up in an orphanage. He never knew his parents. Scipio found Riccio when Riccio tried to steal from him.

Mosca

Mosca is a tall, strong boy. He has very dark skin. Riccio says he can "creep through the shadows." He loves the water and built his own boat. Mosca enjoys working on his radio. He doesn't talk about his past. But it is said he has a difficult family he dislikes.

Victor Getz

Victor is a detective. Esther and Max Hartlieb hired him to find Bo and Prosper. He likes collecting disguises, especially fake beards. He has lived in Italy for 15 years. He speaks English, his first language, and Italian. He chases Prosper and Riccio after they visit Barbarossa. The children kidnap him. He later escapes but promises not to tell their location. Esther hired him after the police couldn't help. He becomes friends with the children. He lies to Esther, saying the boys left Venice. Victor has two pet tortoises, Lando and Paula.

Ida Spavento

Ida is a kind lady. She takes care of the children for a while. At the end of the book, she takes in Prosper, Bo, and Hornet. She is an orphan herself. She grew up in an orphanage. She found the Conte's wing when she was young. She kept it until she gave it to Scipio's group to sell. She also smokes but is trying to quit.

Esther Hartlieb

Esther is Prosper and Bo's rich aunt. She only wants to keep Bo. She thinks he looks like an angel. She is very unfair to Prosper. She wanted him to go to boarding school. This would mean he would hardly see Bo. She hires Victor to find the boys. She ends up adopting Barbarossa as a child. Later, she finds Barbarossa stealing her jewelry. She also discovers many valuable items in his room. She sends him to a boarding school. There, he becomes a bully. Other children fear him.

Max Hartlieb

Max is Prosper and Bo's rich uncle. Like Esther, he thinks Bo is an angel. He does not like children. He is described as "a giant." He has small, dull eyes. His nose was peeling from sunburn when he hired Victor.

Ernesto Barbarossa

Sometimes called "the Redbeard" or "Baby Barbarino." He is a very cheap antique dealer. He doesn't ask many questions and loves to trick people. He rides and breaks the merry-go-round. He gets stuck at an age younger than Bo. At the end, Esther adopts Barbarossa. He wants to live with her because she is rich. However, Esther finds him stealing her earrings. She discovers many missing valuable items in his room. He is sent to a boarding school. There, he becomes a bully. He makes other children do his work, including homework. He even makes them steal. He forces everyone to call him "the Thief Lord."

Conte

The Conte is an old man. Scipio, Mosca, and Prosper meet him in a confessional. He is the Thief Lord's first client. He asks for something to be stolen. He promises a lot of money (five million lire). But the money he gives for the wooden wing is fake. He can't afford real money. He uses the wing to fix the merry-go-round. He then becomes a child. He and his sister offer Scipio a ride. This is instead of the money they don't have. The Conte's real name is "Renzo."

Contessa

The Contessa is the Conte's younger sister. Her real name is Morosina. She found Prosper and Scipio on Isola Segreta. She held them captive for the night. She did not want Scipio and Prosper to ride the magical merry-go-round.

Dottor Massimo

Dottor Massimo is Scipio's father. He owns a large mansion where they live. He also owns several movie theaters in Venice, including the Stella. Scipio does not have a good relationship with his father. He thinks his father is very serious and selfish.