I just now finished reading this novel and I really enjoyed it! Funke is a great author and I would love to read one of her novels again! The Thief Lord and Carnival at Candlelight were different in that the imagery in Funke's novel was wonderful! Her description in this novel made me feel as if i were really there experiencing the same things as the characters in the novel. My favorite character in this novel was definitely Prosper! I loved how he took care of his little brother Bo and the others! I love how he takes on the role as an adult and does everything possible to keep himself and his brother together! Funke also does a wonderful job of keeping you on the edge of your seat, wondering what's going to happen next! I couldn't believe that Scipio turned out to be a rich kid! I was shocked! Although this book started out rather slow for me in the beginning I really enjoyed it once I got into it! It's a wonderful novel for children to read and I would love to read some of Funke's other works.