The Thief Lord

From the Book
“The alleys they walked through became narrower. It was quiet between the houses and soon they entered the hidden heart of the city, where there were hardly any strangers. Cats darted away as their footsteps rang out on the paving stones. Pigeons cooed from the roofs. The ever-present water swayed beneath the bridges, splashing against the boats and wooden posts, and reflecting back the old faces of the houses. The children wandered deeper and deeper into the maze of alleys. The houses seemed to be moving in on them, watching them, as if they knew who they were.”
p.22 par.2

What this means to me
The imagery used makes me feel like I am right there with the children, sneaking off to their secret hiding place through the alleys. I can just picture the cats being startled by the echoing footsteps of the children as they creep along the alleys between the tall houses.

The metaphor the author used to say the children’s home was “the hidden heart of the city” was really clever. I took it to a more literal standpoint as in a heart of a person, their inmost being. The Star-Palace is where the children had made their home, as much as a theatre can be a home for street children. Their hearts lay there with their most prized possessions and it was where they spent time growing together.

I really like how the author personifies the houses at the end of the paragraph. It gives you the sense that this is where the children’s safe haven in Venice was, like the houses were protecting them and shielding them from the rest of the city.



Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Thief Lord. Funke did such a wonderful job with developing the characters throughout the story as well as the imagery. Once I got into the reading it never left me bored and was full of surprises.

My favorite character in the book was probably Ida. I loved how she was still such a child at heart and truly cared for the children (even after they broke into her house to steal the wooden wing). Her and Hornet had a strong connection after the police caught Hornet and took her to the orphanage where Ida once lived. Ida was so compassionate toward the children, but especially toward Hornet. I think she was truly able to understand what Hornet was going through in the orphanage because of her experience. I really enjoyed the fact that Ida and Victor (in disguise) went over to the orphanage together to claim Hornet as their own so she could be reunited with the rest of the children. Ida was really a character to look up to and someone the children really admired.