I finished the entire novel, and I have to say that I LOVED this book! While reading, I realized that if I were a child, I would have been absolutely enthralled at the idea of a group of runaways who squander and steal to survive and live on their own without any adults to aid them. The plot hits on a fantasy that I am sure many kids have thought about at one point in time. What surprised me the most about the book was when I realized that Scipio was the son of a wealthy man. In the beginning of the novel his character is portrayed as all-knowing and he is so confident for such a young child. I was honestly disapointed to find that he only stole items from his own house. From that point on, the Thief Lord's character seemed to change. He was more cowardly and acted more like a child than an adult. I feel like Cornelia Funke did an amazing job of incorporating a sense of family into her novel, even though it was about a group of homeless runaways. The children became a family unto themselves and they were always helping each other. For example, Hornet took on a motherly role, and constantly cared for Bo and the others. Prosper was an excellent example of a responsible older brother. He did everything he could to keep Bo safe, and tried his hardest to steer him away from dishonest actions, like stealing. Even though the group of children did not seem like a "traditional" family, they cared for each other like one.
Comments (1)
Taylor, I agree with your comments about the group of children being a family. I really liked the group dynamic that could be found among the children. I also liked that a child reading this book would be able to realize that not all families are the traditional, nuclear family especially since our society’s standards of families has been changing over time. This could help children realize that not all families have to be the same and that friendships can be important as well. I also really liked that each child played a different role in the “family” allowing the reader to observe the various characteristics that each child had. You were also able to learn more about each character by their interactions with each other and the role they played in the group. I too was surprised to find out that Scipio was not actually an orphan but I really liked the way it portrayed the theme that money does not always equal happiness and that Scipio was more happy with his friends than with his actual family because of the way his friends made him feel. Overall I really enjoyed this book and think there are so many important themes throughout the book that would be great for children to read about.
Posted by Candace Carpenter | September 3, 2007 4:53 PM
Posted on September 3, 2007 16:53