Independent+Novel+Studies

December 2, 2011 The Thief Lord Ryan Chen Pg.1-30

Response:

The story so far has managed to catch my attention. Some books i have read so far have not been very entertaining. They had slow starts and sluggish development. This novel, however, jumped straight to an objective the main character has to do. I’m not sure if that is really a good thing, but it has kept me reading so far, and that is what i like in books. The way the story is written is clear and simple, yet still has important details. It isn’t confusing to the point where i have to re-read a sentence, which really frustrates me. The author emphasized the two children’s names, Prosper and Bo. I believe there may be a meaning behind it. Each of the characters have depth and special characteristics to them, which makes them much more that just a name in a story. So far I am just past the point when the children have arrived at their destination in Venice, the star-palace.

1) Why did you select this novel?

Some of my friends have already read __The Thief Lord__ a few years ago, and they have all said that it was a good book. I was going to read it a while back, but I just did not get the chance to. When I saw this book on the Shelfari, I decided to pick it up and see if it was actually as good as my friends have said. Also, this novel is written by Cornelia Funke. I’ve read a few books by this author when I was little, and I haven’t been disappointed. Hopefully, this one is the same.


 * 2) What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why? **

In the beginning, the setting was in Venice, during Autumn. Even though it was Autumn, it stated that the weather was already very cold, so I assume that it is during late Autumn. The story began in Victor, a detective’s office. As for the setting’s importance, I believe that it is. The two children that Victor has been assigned to search for has ran away to Venice. It hasn’t been truly stated yet, but there has to be some sort of reason for them to run off to Venice of all places. Some said that the children’s mother has told them good things about Venice, but I don’t think that is the real reason. In addition, it said that they came from Hamburg, which is fairly far. To go that far by themselves, it must mean something.


 * 3) Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told? **

__The Thief Lord__ is told from a third person perspective. Since this story revolves around a detective, I think it will be better this way. A third person perspective allow us to know what the character is doing, but not what they are thinking, This way, the readers can think about things on their own, and get more involved in it.

December 9, 2011 The Thief Lord Ryan Chen Pg. 31-57


 * Response:**

As I read the story, more and more characters and problems are put into it. The story seems to progress quite quickly, much faster than some of the novels I have read. I don't know if this is exactly a good thing or a bad thing. Progressing quickly makes the story more interesting at a faster pace, keeping the reader entertained, but at the same time, it might confuse me, since the details are quickly passed by. But so far, I find the fast pace to be more positive than negative, since the details and explanation are expressed clearly and simply, and I have no problems following it.


 * 1) What's going on as the story begins?**

So far, one of the main characters, Victor, is asked to find two missing children by the request of their relatives. This takes place all in Venice, where both the children and the detective are located. Later on, the children arrive at the star palace. There, they meet up with Scipio, the "thief lord". Interestingly enough, he was actually a child not much older than the others. He has been stealing items like jewelry and sells them. As the thief lord, he never gets caught. The story continues on with the children helping the thief while the detective searches for them.


 * 2) How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest?**

I like how the story is told by switching between the kids and the detective, so you always know what is happening on both ends. The story at first doesn't explain too much about the situation and leaves us thinking about the possibilities. The author also goes more in depth with most of the characters, like their background and hobbies, which makes the story all the more interesting.


 * 3)** **What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses?**

As the thief lord is introduced, I found out that the children were joining up with him, and possibly making the search for them a lot more difficult for the detective. In a short chapter, it shows the detective losing track of the kids. He thinks of himself as an amateur for losing to little kids. By joining with the Scipio, Bo and Prosper have become harder to track down.

December 15, 2011 The Thief Lord <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ryan Chen <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pg. 58-161 The novel at this point is beginning to create a more solid plot. I know that whatever Scipio is asked to retrieve will affect the story in some way. I think that during the process of stealing the item, he will faced a problem that he has never faced before. The stories of the detective and the children are quickly coming together. They have met and the detective is tracking them down faster than ever, since the children gave him the slip not only once, but two or three times.

The language of this novel is fairly basic, with few complicated words. At certain points there are unusual words like "herewith", but they are very uncommon. Also, since the story takes place in Venice, money is referred to as lire, so I have a hard time knowing what is considered expensive or cheap. Overall the language is just easy to follow and even children will have no trouble reading this book.
 * 1)** **Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? GIve examples and explain.**

This story is told in a third person perspective, so the reader will have a lot of information about the things happening. This gets rid of any possible confusions that the reader may come across. But one thing I found in this novel was that it is very fast paced. The thief lord suddenly gets a mission from the Conte, and the detective tracks down the children, all in just 2 or 3 chapters. The thing is, I never received much information on //how// the detective was able to track them down, I just know that he did. This is one of the problems that I have come across so far. I would have liked it if the author went more in depth with how the detective gathered the information. This isn't too big of a problem, but it would be nice to include it. I wouldn't say that The Thief Lord is an easy book to follow, but it is definitely far from difficult.
 * 2) Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events?**

The first problem that the main character has faced is the fact that the detective has found them. Bo has accidently told the detective some of their information thinking that he was just a tourist. He told him where they lived and their names, which is vital information. The detective, however, also let slip some of his information. He gave his real name, and now they know that he was a detective. Another problem, or mission, rather, is the thief lord has been requested to retrieve an item. I think that this will lead to future problem, like getting caught.
 * 3)** **What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character?**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">January 6, 2012 The Thief Lord <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ryan Chen <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pg. 161-268

The story begins to develop a strong plot during this section, as many of the characters have changed their roles in the story due to the Conte. The detective gets captured by the children when he tries to capture them himself. The children and Victor start a conversation and he realizes the situation they're in. he decides to let them stay, as long as he doesn't hear about any break-ins on the newspapers. At the end of they're conversation he tells them to go to a certain house, if they want to learn something about Scipio. Prosper and Mosca did as he told and they ended up arriving at a mansion. At first they didn't believe that this would have anything to do with Scipio, because they believed that he was also an orphan. But when they entered, they saw him at the top of the stairs. Prosper an Mosca realized that Scipio isn't any kind of "thief lord". In fact, he has never even done a break-in. Mosca is furious about this, and starts insulting and hating Scipio. After this, they decide to do the break-in themselves and not share the money with Scipio. During the break in, they are caught, and Ida tells them a story about a merry-go-round that can turn children into adults, and adults into children. The wing that they were trying to steal was actually a wing from the lion on the merry-go-round. She believes that the Conte is in possession of the item, and is trying to reform it. They all make the trade with the Conte, and proceeds to tail him. In the middle of their tailing, they started to get shot at and were forced to retreat. The Conte is now gone, and they realize that the money is fake. Prosper decides to go to the island where the Conte is, but gets caught and is imprisoned on the island.

There were a few unexpected events that occurred in the section I read. Later on in the novel, the detective gets caught, and during the time he was captured, he learned a lot of things about the children. Eventually he decides that he will not turn them in, but only if they do not break into the house and steal the treasure. During their discussion the detective tells them the truth about the thief lord. It is revealed that he is actually not an orphan, and lives in a mansion. Scipio has never stolen anything, and all the loot has been coming from his house. He lost the entire groups respect after that, and is being forced to leave. Because of that, the group of children decided to complete their mission without Scipio. They manage to break in, but they get caught during the process. The owner of the house listens to their story and makes a deal with them. After they gave the treasure to the Conte, they realized that the money was fake, and tries to track him down. Both the detective and the owner of the house then start helping them.
 * 1)What plot twists or unexpected events happen as the novel goes on?**

The owner of the house that the children broke into is called Ida. She caught them trying to steal from her during the night. She was going to call the cops until she heard that they were after a wooden wing. Ida shares a story about the wing to them, and decides to make a deal with them. The wing itself is not a treasure, but when put together with the entire thing, it becomes one. She said that if she lets them give the wing to the Conte, they have to help her follow him to treasure. After that, she, just like the detective, helps them track down the Conte.
 * 2)Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose?**

I think that the climax of the story is when the children realize that they have been scammed by the Conte. For a while, they believed that they have become rich and didn't need to steal anymore, but the detective soon tells them that the money was fake. During that time, Bo has been taken by his Aunt, and Hornet was dragged to the orphanage. Because of these events, Prosper has fallen into depression.
 * 3)What is the climax of the novel?**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">January 13, 2012 The Thief Lord <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ryan Chen Pg. 268-345(end)

Some of the minor conflicts that were solved were that Hornet and Bo have returned to the group. Bo's aunt couldn't stand his attitude, so she sent him back, and Hornet was taken out of the orphanage from the help of the detective and Ida. The major conflict was the fact that the group had to find the Conte to either see the merry-go-round, or retrieve the real money. Scipio and Prosper set out to the island where the Conte is, and they managed to see the Conte. But this time, instead of seeing an old man, the Conte had the appearance of a young boy. This proved that the legend of the merry-go-round was true. The Conte offered the two a ride on the merry-go-round, since they helped him to revive it. Scipio took the offer but Prosper didn't. Shortly after, Barbarossa, the pawn shop owner, discovered where they hid the merry-go-round, so Scipio told him to take a ride on it to become a child, so that he won't get in their way anymore. Barbarossa manages to break off the wing when he was on it, and the merry-go-round ceased to move. The three of them could never change back to what they used to be. When they returned to Venice, Scipio started to work for the detective, Barbarossa became Bo's aunt's step-son, and the Conte disappeared. You could say that things turned back to how they used to be, but for Scipio, the ride has changed his life forever.
 * 1)How are the major and minor conflicts solved?**

I believe that the novel is saying that having a changed appearance cannot change what is on the inside. You cannot expect to become an adult by just having the body of one. Scipio has always wanted to become an adult because he is sick of others treating him like a child. He become the "thief lord" because he wanted to feel needed and important. When he took the appearance of an adult, I did not see any difference in personality. Scipio has not become any more mature than he was before. He is still jumping around and short tempered. When Scipio and Prosper entered the Conte's room, there were toys everywhere, so I assume the Conte is trying to act like a child after changing his age. When Scipio broke one of his toys, he merely through it into the fire, showing that he has no concern for them. He is still an adult. For Barbarossa, he was a cheap, stuck up man, always stealing items from others. Even in a child's body, he stole goods from his aunt, and forced the students at his school to do his bidding. The actual message was not said in the story, but we got to know how the three of them acted after the change. From the actions of the three, I can figure out the message that I felt the story was trying to convey
 * 2)What message did you get from the novel? How was this message conveyed?**

At first, I thought that a novel called 'the thief lord' would be filled with action. There were some action in the story, but it mostly consisted of conflict and each of the characters' backgrounds. I would not say that this is a bad thing, since the plot of the story was very interesting. This gave an element of surprise, which I actual like. The story was very easy to follow and the wording was clear. I would say that the story met my expectations, if not, exceeded them.
 * 3)Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations?**

__**Focus Assignment**__
__Plot__

The story revolves around a group of orphans surviving together in Venice, and is told in third person. The story starts off by introducing the famous detective of Venice, Victor Getz. He is asked to locate two children that supposedly ran off to Venice. The two children are later on confirmed to be in Venice, and have joined up with the city's "Thief Lord". The children survive by having the thief lord steal goods and then selling them. The thief lord is called so because he has never been caught, no matter what he tried to steal. Because of this, the thief lord has accepted an important mission a while back, and if he completes it, they will become richer than most people in Venice. Throughout the novel, the detective has found them a few times, but each time the children outsmart him, and on his last attempt, Victor was the one captured. The children keep him captive in the abandoned movie theatre where they live. During that time, Victor was able to hear their side of the story, and why they cannot go back. Victor understands their situation, and promises to not tell anyone about their hideout, as long as he doesn't hear about any more break-ins. Victor tells them to visit a mansion, saying that it has something to do with their beloved thief lord. They do as they are told, and then they found out about the secret that the thief lord has been hiding the whole time. He was not an orphan, but the son of a noble family. He has never broken into a single house before, and all the loot has been coming from his house. The children lose trust and respect in him, and decides to finish the mission themselves. While breaking in, they get caught by the owner of the house. She thinks that they are trying to steal her valuable items, like cameras or jewelries, but when they told her that they wanted a wooden wing, she decides to tell them a story. The story was about a magical merry-go-round that, when someone takes a ride on it, they can change from a child to an adult, or an old man into a young boy. The wing was a lost part of the original merry-go-round. It was a the wing from the winged lion figure. Ida (the owner of the house), decides to help them out, as long as they help her track down the merry-go-round. They all set out to give the wing to the Conte, and while pursuing him to an abandoned island, they began to get shot at, forcing them to go back. This is where I believe the climax is. They realize that the money that they received was fake, and two of them get caught. The whole group falls into chaos, so Prosper and Scipio decides to head out towards the island to find the Conte and settle the issue. They get caught as soon as they reach the island by a young girl. She shows them to Conte, which has turned into a young boy. The Conte tells them that the legend of the merry-go-round was real, and that for helping him retrieve the wing, he will offer them a ride on it. Scipio takes up on the offer to become an adult, but Prosper refuses. After Scipio finishes the ride, Barrbarossa, the owner of the pawn shop that works with the Conte intrudes on them and finds out about the merry-go-round. He takes a ride on it, and manages to break the merry-go-round, removing to chances of the three of them ever turning back. The story ends with the grown-up Scipio working under the detective, while the group of children are reunited and live together in Ida's house. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">media type="custom" key="12146720"