The Good Thieves

Description

Go on an adventure with Katherine Rundell ... _______________ FOYLES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019 From the winner of the Costa Children's Book Award _______________ 'An amazing adventure story, told with sparkling style and sleight of hand' - Jacqueline Wilson 'Read everything she writes' - Daily Mail _______________ Fresh off the boat from England, Vita Marlowe has a job to do. Her beloved grandfather Jack has been cheated out of his home and possessions by a notorious conman with Mafia connections. Seeing Jack's spirit is broken, Vita is desperate to make him happy again, so she devises a plan to outwit his enemies and recover his home. She finds a young pickpocket, working the streets of the city. And, nearby, two boys with highly unusual skills and secrets of their own are about to be pulled into her lawless, death-defying plan. Katherine Rundell's fifth novel is a heist as never seen before - the story of a group of children who will do anything to right a wrong.

Katherine Rundell is a bestselling author whose novels for children include Rooftoppers, The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer and The Good Thieves. She has won the Costa Children's Book Award, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, amongst many others. She was a 2021 World Book Day author and has also published two picture books for children and three non-fiction books for adults, including Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, winner of the 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize, and The Golden Mole and Other Living Treasure, shortlisted for the 2022 Waterstones Book of the Year. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. Katherine spent her childhood in Africa and Europe before taking her degree at the University of Oxford and becoming a Fellow of All Souls College. As well as writing, she studies Renaissance literature and occasionally goes climbing on the rooftops late at night.

Likely to be the best children's book you'll read this year * The Times Children's Book of the Week * Rundell is the real deal, a writer of boundless gifts and extraordinary imaginative power whose novels will be read, cherished and reread long after most so-called "serious" novels are forgotten * Observer * An amazing adventure story, told with sparkling style and sleight of hand * Jacqueline Wilson * Captivating ... Not only is [Rundell's] latest an irresistible journey, but every inch of it is a delight ... At its heart the book is about courage, friendship and love * Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week * A new Katherine Rundell book is always an event, but this is another triumph and then some. A wickedly exciting heist with heart, I can but marvel at this new delight from one of my favourite storytellers ever * Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Girl of Ink & Stars * With a gripping plot and unforgettable characters, Rundell's latest is another triumph * Mail on Sunday Children's Book of the Month * A total showstopper of a story. Rundell's finest yet * Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse * Rundell orchestrates the fast-paced, thrilling action and vivid, endearing characters with the precision of a watchmaker * Daily Mail * Purring mafiosi, breathtaking feats of nerve and a crackling sense of atmosphere throughout make this book a single-sitting treat, showcasing Rundell at the peak of her powers * Guardian * I love the way Katherine puts Impossible on hold while she tells her wild, warm, shimmering stories * Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks' War * The Good Thieves is another suspenseful and beautifully written book that will delight Rundell fans * Telegraph * The Good Thieves is a story-telling spectacle - it glitters with adventure, family, friendship, and an irresistible sprinkling of impossibility * Catherine Doyle, author of The Storm Keeper's Island * Increasingly, I feel that doctors should prescribe Katherine Rundell books to patients - all that wisdom, all that humour, all that irrepressible joy. The Good Thieves is, predictably, superb * Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song * It's full of mischief, vibrance, tenacity and wonder * Cerrie Burnell, author of The Girl with the Shark's Teeth * Rundell's books are as breathlessly intrepid as each sentence is elegantly sculpted * i Weekend * Lights a spark in your heart from the very first line and sets it blazing with danger, daring, high-wire thrills and a vivid, unstoppable spirit of love and hope. I adored it * Lauren St John, author of the Laura Marlin Mysteries * Another satisfying instalment in Rundell's ongoing saga of adventure and derring-do. Filled with all the tension, justice and excitement you expect from her, The Good Thieves doesn't put a foot wrong, as it plots and plans, twists and turns, flies and falls as Vita and her gang plot the heist of the decade, on the side of good * A. F. Harrold, author of The Afterwards * A truly excellent book ... Stolen castles, daring heists, prohibition, pickpockets, animal adventure, the circus, a truly terrifying villain and four of the best protagonists I've ever encountered. Plus Katherine Rundell's glorious prose * Katherine Webber, co-author of Sam Wu Is Not Afraid * Katherine Rundell's writing is always beautiful, but The Good Thieves hits a whole new level for me. It's just dazzling! I adore fierce, vibrant Vita, and the plot is SO compelling * Stephanie Burgis, author of The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart * 'Captivating ... A glorious heist ... Rundell's unbelievable twists and turns will have young readers, and any family members luck enough to be reading along, on the edge of their seats until the very last moment * Scotsman * A dazzling take on the traditional and timeless treasure hunt story, and an excellent read from one of today's most talented storytellers. * South China Morning Post / Young Post in Hong Kong * Full of tense moments and dramatic twists and turns, this is a great story of triumph over adversity and the value of trust, friendship and self-belief. * Booktrust * Exquisite characterisation meets sublime storytelling in this thrilling, spectacular ride of an adventure. Another classic in the making from Katherine Rundell * Booklover Jo * Beautifully written and full of scenes that both thrill and enchant, The Good Thieves is Rundell at her classy best * LoveReading4Kids * Another exceptional book from one of our favourite storytellers. It's a showstopping heist glittering with New York City magic and wonder, blazing with danger and bravery. Her best book yet * Angels and Urchins * Rundell has a gift for precise and beautiful descriptions ... as well as a generous-hearted sense of adventure and companionship * Literary Review * A new book from Katherine Rundell is always a treat, and this wonderful heist story is no exception. It's a thrilling adventure with a fierce and determined heroine * The Week Junior * A burning sense of injustice propels the latest book by the excellent, award-winning Katherine Rundell * Observer New Review * One of the most talented children's authors around * Daily Express * WHAT a writer Rundell is. She creates the heady atmosphere of Prohibition-era New York, wonderfully engaging characters and a fast-paced mystery adventure and weaves them together with the most beautiful writing style ... An exciting read for all ages * Daily Mail * A beautifully plotted heist * The best books of 2019 - i Weekend * An inspiring story with loads of escapism * Irish Examiner * The Good Thieves pulled me in and made me want to keep reading * Mina Caines, Age 11 - Times Literary Supplement * As well as the vividly presented setting, I particularly loved the strong will that made the characters so memorable * Mary Imlah, Age 13 - Times Literary Supplement * This is a standout children's adventure ... Rundell's writing is clear and lyrical, effortlessly conjuring up a diverse cast in a well-drawn milieu and putting together a thoroughly enjoyable read * Crime Review * A sparkling heist adventure told with wit and style * The School Librarian * A story of courage and love about a gang of children with circus skills who take on armed heavies to right a wrong ... It has delicious prose and a tear-jerking ending * The Sunday Times Best Children's Books of the Year 2019 * This fast-paced, thrilling story has it all - a charismatic 1920s New York setting, a sensationally sinister villain, a determined, likeable heroine and feats of daring couched in engaging prose * The Guardian Best Children's Books of 2019 * A pacy and satisfying tale written with the imaginative flair one has come to expect from this superb storyteller * Country Life * In this masterful children's adventure, a girl finds herself entangled in the criminal underworld of Prohibition-era New York. * The 50 best books of 2019, Daily Telegraph * Katherine Rundell continues her winning run with The Good Thieves * Books of the Year, Daily Telegraph * Skilfully plotted, beautifully written and with memorable characters, Costa award-winner Rundell just gets better with every book. -- Sally Morris * Daily Mail * The Good Thieves [...] combines a galloping plot and beautiful writing in a book that will delight Rundell fans. * Irish Independent * You can't really describe Katherine Rundell as a rising star any more, so fixed is she in the kid-lit firmament. Rundell flexed her historical thriller muscle in The Good Thieves which pitted a young British girl and an unlikely alliance of streetwise youngsters and circus performers against New York gangsters and crooked politicians: justice was served with relish. * The Observer New Review * Rundell is an astonishing young talent and her books combine old-fashioned, edge-of-your-seat adventure with richly imagined characters... Read everything she writes * Daily Mail * ...suspenseful and beautifully written * Daily Telegraph * A great adventure story with a very engaging and exciting plot * The Green Parent *