The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Publisher: The Chicken House, 2005
349 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Read Aloud: 9
Read Alone: 9-12

Abandoned movie theatres, enchanted merry-go-rounds, orphans, thieves, and villains abound in Venice in this novel of friendship, adventure and a little bit of magic. Although, it may sound like the makings of a fairytale, this thoroughly modern fantasy has more elements of realistic fiction than fantasy in my estimation. The bones of the story are formed by real emotions: loss, fear, unhappiness, deceit, and greed are counterbalanced by love, devotion, generosity and self-sacrifice. Add of touch of magic and some villains very easy to hate and you have an exciting adventure that sweeps the reader to the interesting and unfamiliar world of the alleys and canals of Venice.

The plot revolves around the struggle of two orphaned boys, Prospero (12) and Bo (5) to escape their vile aunt Esther whose sole goal seems to be to separate the brothers forever. They are aided by the benevolent and mysterious thief lord, Scipio, who is not all that he seems to be. A likeable but comic private detective, a wealthy patron, some nuns, and a greedy art dealer populate this novel as do any number of other quirky characters. Although this makes things interesting, it may make it hard for some children to follow the action and keep everything straight. Although I love the preponderance of details (think Dickens), this could also be off putting to some. Nonetheless, Funke’s skill as a writer keeps everything coherent and moving fast enough to make this all very entertaining.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

On its face, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DeCamillo is an interesting enough tale. It tells the story of the accidental separation of a china rabbit, Edward Tulane, from the little girl who loves him and the extraordinary odyssey that takes him home.

I can see many girls who would want to learn more about the title character—after all he was handcrafted in France with his own wardrobe of silk suits, custom shoes and hats (with special holes for his noble ears) suitable for every occasion. His travels—from the bottom of the ocean to the top of a garbage heap, are peopled with extraordinary characters like fisherman Lawrence and his wife Nellie. Lawrence rescues Edward from the sea, but it is Nellie who christens him Susanna and begins to teach him how to listen to more than his own inflated self-opinion.

As Edward moves on, never by choice, but always due to the actions of DeCamillo’s detestable secondary characters—Edward gets new names—Malone for his time with a hobo and his dog Lucy, and finally Jangles for his sojourn with Bryce and his little sister, Sarah Ruth. It is the death of Sarah Ruth that concludes the truly extraordinary journey of Edward—one that leaves a heart capable of happiness, love and empathy where before there had been only emptiness. That is the true miracle of this story.

Camillo’s elegant and somewhat stilted prose complement beautifully the impression of a china toy “jointed and joined by wire”. While Bagram Ibatoullini’s sepia toned drawings and muted gouache color plates are as outstanding in their style and detail as in their ability to convey the mood of each scene depicted. (Appropriate to read aloud from age 7 to 12). There is also a wonderful website to explore: http://www.edwardtulane.com/

A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme

Poetry and geography simultaneously? Interesting and entertaining? Absolutely!

I am not sure which is more enchanting in A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme, J. Patrick Lewis’ (of A Burst of Firsts and The Bookworm’s Feast) clever poetry or Alison Jay’s (Picture This) enormously appealing artwork.

Lewis’ humorous poems cover a multitude of topics from explorers Columbus and Magellan, to quirky commentary on the world’s unique geographic features such as Who Can Somersault the Andreas Fault? Perhaps most importantly for geophobes (like me) is that the poems simultaneously entertain and educate: Not sure about the difference between longitude and latitude? One reading of How to Tell Latitude from Longitude, a mere 4-line poem, should clear that matter up. (“Lines of latitude have flatitude. Longitudinal lines rise like porcupines.”)

Jay’s oil paint with crackling varnish illustrations have winsome appeal and makes what could be a dry subject highly approachable. This book is a fun quick read for kids from 5 to 10.

I am already agonizing over this blog which I promised myself I would not do before I started…sigh.

Going forward I am just going to write about books as I read them or as they occur to me—not giving selection so much weight. But for the first book—the all important first book, it seems like I should try and choose something meaningful, something to set the right tone, something that will wow you all with my insight and discerning taste. Oh brother! I am not sure I can stand the pressure (and I am not kidding).

This is really ridiculous. I just want you and your kids to read and not fuss too much about it, so I guess I should just write and not worry too much about it either! Okay. Here it goes:


My first book selection is:

The Cricket in Times Square written by George Selden and illustrated by Garth Williams

Read aloud: ages 6 to 12
Read Independently: ages 9 to 12

Of interest to: girls and boys; animal lovers, NYC enthusiasts, budding music lovers

This is the story of the friendship between a cat (Harry), a worldly, wisecracking mouse, Tucker, and a musically gifted cricket named Chester who is accidentally displaced from his home in a Connecticut meadow to the Times Square subway station. There are human characters in this as well—an engaging family, the Bellini’s, who are proprietors of a newsstand in the station. It is their son, Mario, who finds Chester and it is this that sets the whole tale in motion.

For me, the juice of this story comes not so much from the plot (although that is strong enough to keep everyone interested) but from the dynamics of the friendship between the three animal characters and from the delicious details that Selden generously sprinkles throughout the story. Through his details, he paints so vivid a picture that not only you can see the animals’ drainpipe home and the surrounding station; you can smell and feel its dampness as well. Selden’s imagination turns a matchbox and some Kleenex into a bed anyone would want to sleep in--though it is actually intended for Chester. Just wait until you see what he and Tucker can do to a lunch counter!

Garth Williams’ illustrations bring Selden’s work to life. I chose to include this picture because its fineness and detail exemplify the quality of Williams’ work throughout the book. Look at Harry closely and you will see kindness and intelligence in his eyes. Having no artistic talent myself, I am awed by great illustrators’ abilities.

This is a great book to read aloud and, by the way, don’t worry if the only way you can get your kids to be involved in a book is by reading aloud to them. Try it and just keep doing it. They will come to recognize your commitment to reading and hopefully realize that it is a valuable activity. Besides, spending quiet time together enjoying a good story is fun. Intrepid parents out there can even ask their kids to read a page or two at each session if that feels right.

Another good thing about this book is that if your child enjoys it, there are a number of sequels and even a prequel. My son and I read several and though nothing matched the first, we enjoyed them as well.

My next post is going to be about an audio book. For some of you, it might be easier, more practical, or less scary to begin by listening to a book instead of reading one. I generally don’t do this because I love the printed word and creating voices in my own imagination, but I think it is a wonderful option and am glad there a some many good ones to choose from. In fact, there is one I love so much that I listen to it every year. I believe you will be hooked as well.

Happy Reading.