The Magic Thief (Magic Thief, 1) Paperback – April 21, 2009

I have never been able to "get into" the Harry Potter books. While the rest of the world raved about them, I could only sit back and listen and, occasionally, "catch the movie". Thus, when Sarah Pirneas, whose short fiction I have devoured for years, announced her first novel was about a young wizard's apprentice, I became a bit nervous. What if, after waiting for years for her to publish a full-length book, I didn't like it? My husband said I should not lie in writing this review, so I will admit, I did NOT like The Magic Thief--I loved it!My delight began the very moment I laid hands on the book. The slipcover is made to look like blue leather with gold leaf and the pages are deckle-edged, giving it an "old book" appearance. The inside has beautiful illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo, a map, journal entries by the wizard Nevery written on stationary, and recipes for biscuits at the very end, because inside The Magic Thief there is a great deal of eating biscuits and bacon.The story had me hooked within the first few pages. Conn is a gutter boy who survives on the streets of the bad side of town by picking locks and pockets. One cold night he unwittingly chooses a wizard as his mark, pinching a magical item that should have killed him, but does not. Intrigued, the wizard Nevery takes the boy on as his servant. Nevery was banished from The Magic City of Wellmet twenty years ago. He has only returned because something is draining the city's magic. Can a former exile and a reformed thief save the great city of Wellmet?The Magic Thief is well written, delightfully entertaining and, well, magical. It is a book that can easily be read out loud to younger children and the 10 to adult crowd will find it equally enchanting. Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl had best keep a sharp eye on their biscuits and bacon, because I have a very strong feeling that they have met their match in the quick hands of Conn and the imaginative talent of Sarah Pirneas.

This is a great third/fourth grade intro to fantasy, magic, and adventure tales.The hero, Conn the street thief, is destined for great things as a wizard. Nevery the wizard senses this and takes him on as an apprentice. Adventure and excitement follow.Conn is the primary narrator, and his wonderful voice carries the book. He is street smart, but not a wise guy. He is made of true-blue hero stuff, being loyal, honest, conscientious, brave and shrewd. He is also subject to youthful error, exaggeration and false hope, so he presents a well-rounded, age appropriate protagonist. Nevery is a classic fair-but-firm, grumpy/softy master. Benet, Nevery's "muscle" is an effective soft-hearted tough guy. Rounding out the gang is Rowan, the ruling Duchess's daughter. She is smart, sassy, adventurous, and an excellent partner for Conn. She also provides a nice counterpoint to Conn, (in a Hermione Granger kind of way).This book is not frantic, and there are no monsters. It's about how Conn grows up to be a wizard, and how he and his companions use magic and their own pluck to solve problems and help their city. There is "political intrigue", but it is simple enough to not confuse the story, (i.e. some bad wizards, a criminal kingpin, some spies and sneaks - that kind of thing).I'm a big fan of Delaney's Spook's Apprentice series, which covers similar ground, but for an older reader. (More violence, more complexity, more depth.) But, this Magic Thief series is a wonderful way to introduce a reader to fantasy, and would be a great stepping stone to the Spook's Apprentice series. Then, as your reader gets older, you could move on to F.E. Higgins' Black Book of Secrets, (yet a more advanced and deliciously well-written apprentice type book), and beyond.So, well worth serious consideration.

Sarah Prineas does an excellent job in her debut novel, The Magic Thief, by enchanting and intriguing the reader. The characters she creates are ones of great quality and full of life. I find the construction of the city of Wellmet quite interesting; for example through the illustrated map one can see how she set up the two polar opposites through the Dawn and the Twilight and how they are the good and bad parts of the city respectively. The characters throughout The Magic Thief are developed really well, some trustworthy and others are suspicious, but none are completely bland characters. Conn, the main character, starts out as a gutterboy in the Twilight of Wellmet where he pickpockets in order to survive. One day he pickpockets the Wizard Nevery and accidentally steals his locus magicalicus (a stone all wizards have, much like a wand). This stone should have killed Conn upon contact but does not and this fact intrigues Nevery greatly, who then takes Conn in as his servant (though Conn mistakenly sees himself as Nevery's apprentice).Nevery is a great wizard who had been banished from Wellmet twenty years ago by the Duchess because she believes that he tried to kill her, he has returned due to the crisis of a lack of magic within Wellmet. He must restore the magic in order to save Wellmet from dying from the lack of magic. He is a well developed character whose character plays an important role with Conn as well as with the survival of the city. One always excited to hear his thoughts at the end of a chapter.Eventually Nevery does take Conn as an apprentice and he begins to go to a school of magic called the Academicos. This reminds one of the Harry Potter series and Hogwarts as a school of magic, bringing joy to many readers who greatly appreciate the series. Conn has only thirty days to find his own locus magicalicus. Much of the novel focuses on Conn finding his locus stone and one is constantly on edge in anticipation of whether he will find it or not. At school he makes some friends and finally learns how to read! Will he be able to convince Nevery that he knows who is taking the magic? Will he be able to save Wellmet before it dies from the lack of magic?Many can agree that The Magic Thief is an extremely compelling juvenile novel that intrigues readers of all ages so much that it is difficult to put the book down. One truly feels as if he is on this adventure with Conn, he feels he is walking through the damp streets of the Twilight or eating Benet's delicious and buttery feasts. It is easy for one to sympathize with Conn because although he has made bad decisions in the past one can justify them and his honesty compels one to adore and respect him. For a "gutterboy" who has no schooling his narration is fascinating and intrigues the reader with humor, curiosity, and knowledge.Prineas wraps the book up really well. She keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and ready to turn the next page. The ending answers many questions but also raises more. It is a good ending to this book but also opens up many questions for the next installment of the trilogy that I am certainly looking forward to reading. It is a different take on magic with a new plot different yet similar to other wizardry books. It is truly a delightful piece of children's literature that should be added to the bookshelves of children across the country.