The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Cornelia Funke has been hailed as the German J.K. Rowling - high praise indeed!  I have read some of her other stories, and thoroughly enjoyed them, but this one looked a bit darker and more complex...

Prosper and Bo are orphaned brothers and they have run away from their rather unpleasant aunt and uncle, to Venice, a place which their late mother used to tell them all about.

They are befriended by a small gang of street children, led by their enigmatic leader, The Thief Lord.  All is well, until the aunt employs a private detective to hunt the children down.  From this point on, the story twists and turns all over the place, rather like the canals and streets of Venice themselves.  The plot throws up surprises and plot twists all over the place... culminating in a thrilling journey into the complete and utterly fantastical!

I loved this book and would recommend it to Year 5 and up.