The Thief

Locations
Call Number: R Newbery Honor 1997, Teen Fiction / Turner, Megan Whalen, Teen Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Turner, Megan
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Kids Reference 0-week checkout	R Newbery Honor 1997	0-week checkout	Library Use Only
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Turner, Megan Whalen	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Turner, Megan Whalen	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024
Pittsfield Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Turner, Megan	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Turner, Megan	4-week checkout	Due 05-05-2024

Book 1.
Youth level.
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

A fair beginning submitted by marshd on December 13, 2010, 5:58pm I found it a little slow, up until a bit after halfway. The ending is fantastic, though, and the entire book is still worth a read, if not only to read its sequels.

Great Start (But Later Books in Series Are Better) submitted by sdunav on June 28, 2012, 12:36pm This is YA fiction that should have won the Newbery in 1997 (it was an Honors book, and "The View from Saturday", which I didn't like much, won). It starts slowly, but does pick up speed.

The Thief is the first book in a trilogy but the ending doesn't leave you hanging at all. It's a story set in some world much like ancient Greece, with kings and soldiers and gods, but it is not your average fantasy quest story at all. The characters are complicated - especially the main character - and I love the way author reveals more and more about them as the story unfolds.

In many ways, this reminds me of Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea series. If you've got a 10 y.o. or older kid who likes fantasy, they will probably be hooked. Don't be put off by the ugly cover on the first editions (like you're likely to find in the library). I see that later editions have a much better cover, though.

Title?! submitted by laughterxatxdawn on July 27, 2012, 10:01pm This book is very slow, but totally worth it.

good submitted by Feng-Chen Lin on July 10, 2013, 12:58pm I really enjoyed this book. In the ending Megan Whalen, Turner adds an unexpected twist leaving me surprised and astonished.

the thief submitted by unknown on July 29, 2013, 6:11pm "The Thief" is a thriller about a prisoner taken out of jail to steal a precious stone. The stone gives immortality to the holder. It is hidden away in an ancient cave that is only open four days in a year and is covered with a river for the rest of the time. Many surprising twists and turns in the plot take place along this journey as the characters' real identities spill out along the story with the "Thief's" large quantity of secrets and tricks and his constant complaining about just being a "tool." This book has a great deal of description and details included in the journey part of the story with a large amount of secrets that a reader is surprised at finding out. The book itself has a great deal of action and traveling mixed in with very well-made up myths and stories about gods taking place in a imaginary land a bit like Greece. I recommend this book to readers that love mystery, action, and many surprising details that slip out of the story, and to sixth graders and up because littler kids may not truly understand this book and would miss out on a great story.

Great submitted by jmock on August 30, 2013, 6:06pm I found that even though the beginning was slow, if you paid attention you'd realize there is a purpose to all the time the author took to drop hints to give us a little foresight to the ending. Very fascinating once everything is tied up. I've been reading lower level books that didn't have the right feel to them and felt a little like they'd been rushed to get to the climax where everything happens so their A.D.D. readers don't get bored.

So if you're about to read this book, remember, every single thing that's said or that plays out has a meaning and if you pay attention to them, the ending, and the "boring" parts, will be much more enjoyable.

enjoyable submitted by ptoschlog on July 23, 2017, 4:06pm I liked the plot twists

Great Family Read submitted by rbranstrom on June 20, 2018, 6:51am Like other reviewers have said, it starts a bit slow... but BOY is the ending worth it. A great fantasy novel for a whole family to enjoy- there is an audiobook version as well if car trips are in your family's future.

I wish I would have read this book (and the next ones) as a kid- truly a great story with great characters.

Slower than the Others submitted by www.net on July 23, 2018, 3:54pm While I agree with other reviewers that the ending makes the book worth reading, I enjoyed the other books in the series much more than this one. Personally, I find the books , including this one, well written and enticing, but I have a friend who read The Thief, and disliked it. There's no accounting for taste.

the theif submitted by sandri on August 13, 2018, 5:24pm I loved the book. the ending ( for some reason ) made me laugh. it was surprising.

Fun read submitted by laurenk5 on August 29, 2020, 10:55pm I love these types of books and I thought this was a well crafted book with an interesting ending.

Enjoyable ride submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 16, 2021, 8:46pm I don’t have a driving need to read YA series, so I’m unlikely to continue to read this series, but it was an interesting first book that set up a fascinating character who was quirky, smart, clever, and nuanced. I was a little surprised that the book ended when it did: the ending felt a bit abrupt compared to the journey. Still, it was an enjoyable ride, and if my kids were the right ages I would certainly have recommended it to them (probably 5th-8th grade?).

A very quick read submitted by terpsichore17 on July 28, 2021, 10:58am Eugenides, a thief in prison in the land of Sounis, is chosen by (a? the?) magus to steal a life-extending, crown-bestowing stone from its current spot in the kingdom of Attolia; they travel from Sounis through Eddis to Attolia with the magus's 2 apprentices and an additional guard.

After Eugenides successfully retrieves it, they are attacked by Attolian soldiers. Plot points happen.

This is a quick little there-and-back again. As the group travels, they recount a few myths, which pass the time, establish the origin of their MacGuffin, and give more background to Eugenides.

One twist I expected, but Eugenides' earlier gambit slipped by me; I appreciate this, given how long it took for us to *see* evidence of his skill for thievery. I'm looking forward to the other books in this series.

Love it submitted by annakbh on July 4, 2023, 10:38pm In re-reading this series, it’s amazing that there are moments in The Thief that don’t pan out until books later. I love all of these characters.