Plot Summary

The Theif Lord  by Cornelia Funke is a contemporary fiction/fantasy children's book that follows two young boys named Prosper and Bo. It can be identified as contemporary fiction due to mentions of airplanes, camaras, cash registers, and the like. It also a fantasy book though, because of a seemingly magical event that happens at the end of the book. Despite this it has the feel of an old classic, mostly due to the fact that it is set in Venice, Italy.

     Bo and Prosper are brothers, aproximately 5 and 12 years old respectively, who's mother has just died. When they learn that their Aunt Esther wants to split them up they run away to Venice, a place their mother often talked about, where they fall in with a group of street children taken care of by the mysterious Theif Lord, a boy just a little older than Prosper. Their biggest problem is trying to avoid being caught by Victor, the Venetian detective Aunt Esther has hired. That is until the Theif Lord takes on a job offered by a Conte shrouded in secrecy. The Conte wants him to steal from a house in Venice. Something that is of great value to him, although it is not something anyone would think would be valuable. From there things spiral out of control, but in the end everyone gets what they wanted and/or deserved with the help of a lost, old, possibly magical merry-go-round.

Textual Elements

1. Plot- The plot is progressive. It begins with Esther arriving in Venice to hire Victor to search for the children and follows Victor and the children from there. There are no flash backs or forwards, everything that happens is linear. The central conflict is self versus other, with Prosper being the self and Esther being the other.
2. Setting- The setting of Venice lends an air of wonder and mystery to this book. It is described in great detail with many references to the winding alleys, the golden lions, the Piazza San Marco (where everyone in Venice goes at least once a day), the lagoons, the houses on stilts, and the many other elements that make Venice the unique city that it is. The setting is absolutely integral to the events in this story.
3. Characters- Practically all of the characters in this book are two dimensional, with a few exceptions. The characterizations are well done, there are no instances where a character deviates from what is known of them by the reader. Prosper, the main character is well rounded, with conflicting emotions and the ultimate goal of a safe and happy life spent with his brother ever present in his thoughts. The characters include: Barbarosa- A horrible, greedy man who the children sell all of the Theif Lord's stolen goods to. He ends up getting what he deserves in the end. Bo- A young boy of 5 who is adored by everyone. He has golden hair and a sweet face, but has a tendency towards mischeif. He remains the same innocent, mischeivious, lovable, loud mouth through out the book.

   Esther- A sad woman who thinks she loves children, but really hates them. She is really a secondary character although she is the bane of Prosper and Bo's existence. Ida- A woman photographer who is the victim of the Theif Lord's attempted robbery and ends up being a real friend to his band of misfits. Hornet- A street wise young girl who is a member of the Theif Lord's group. She is the nurturer of the group and is always to be depended on. We see her grow a great deal by the end of the book. Mosca- One of the bigger boys in the group, he loves the water and his independence. Prosper- A boy of about 12 who cares for his younger brother more than anything else in the world. He is very protective of Bo, but he finds he can't protect him from everything. Riccio- The spit fire of the group this young boy is a skilled pick pocket. Scipio- The Theif Lord himself. He is a boy of about 13 who can't wait to be grown up. While he is the benefactor of the group, he keeps a secret from them that may be unforgivable. Victor- The detective hired by Esther. Actually a very kind hearted and insightful man who turns out to be more a help than a hinderance.

4. Point of view- The point of view is third person limited omniscient, because the characters are always referred to by name or as he/her and intimate knowledge is known about all of the main characters. An example from the text that shows this is: "Victor didn't put the phone down. He just dropped the receiver. Still numb with sleep, he started to get dressed," (Funke 260).
5. Theme- A theme in this story is the hardships of being a child and the longing to grow up and be respectable. Scipio embodies this theme the most, but when he asks Prosper to come with him to the Isola Segreta then Prosper's response states the theme best: "Prosper stared at his hands. A child's hands. He thought of the condescending look he had received from the porter at the Sandwirth. He thought of his bulky uncle and how he had walked next to Bo, his hand possessively on his brother's thin shoulder. And suddenly Prosper wished that Scipio were right. He wished that out there on the island there really was something that could turn the small and weak into the big and strong." (Funke 250)

Analysis and Critique

      The book is beautifully done. The characters and setting are inspiring and make this book a very fun read. I think that in today's society we all want to grow up so fast and this book is a reminder that childhood is important too.

The one message in this book that is slightly concerning is that if children run away it will all turn out to be for the better. This is concerning because this could make children believe that if they run away then they'll be fine on their own or they'll find someone better and more fun than their own parents to take care of them. In reality running away can be very dangerous, and while the dangers that a child living without the help of an adult faces are mentioned in this book it would be easy for a child to come away from this book with a romanticized view of running away.

Citation

Picture Book Citation

Funke, Cornelia. The Theif Lord.  New York: Scholastic Inc, 2002.

References

Will need to look up format for the type of source used.