Wonderful. An exciting and richly atmospheric thriller told in the best storytelling tradition by a bestselling international children's author. Two orphaned boys on the run from their aunt in Hamburg arrive in Venice - the city of magic their mother had told them about. They are befriended by a group of streetkids who live by their wits in a dilapidated, deserted cinema, looked after by Scipio, the self-styled Thief Lord, who is a boy of mystery himself. A bungling detective, obsessed with disguises, is on the boys' trail but their new-found freedom faces a bigger threat from a challenge to steal the missing part of an old treasure which has the power to spin time. All the elements of a fantastic story are included - lots of exotic atmosphere, mysterious characters, a plot that twists and turns, kids who take control of their lives and a surprisingly bizarre ending. For 10 years up.
Awards
Shortlisted for WHSmith Book Awards (Children's Book of the Year) 2003.
