The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord is set in Venice and is about a group of runaway kids who steal things and sell them for money. Prosper and Bo had run from their aunt and uncle and met this group of kids. They are almost a family. The head of the family would have to be Scipio AKA the Thief Lord. He does most of the stealing. A greedy shopowner decides to have them steal something for a client and they accept the job. The item turns out to be a missing part from a magical merry-go-round which can turn kids into grown-ups and grown-ups into kids. Scipio and the shopowner tried it out but they break it and have to live with their changes. One chapter can be about one characters work, the next can be about anothers. I personally think that is a good thing. The characters are well defined, it has a good plot with just a touch of magic added to extra flair.
345 pages. My rating: 9.