Prineas, Sarah. The Magic Thief. 2008. Harper Collins Publishers, 419 pages. $16.99 ISBN: 9780061375873.
Plot Summary:
When Conn an orphaned pickpocket steals the wizard Nevery’s locus magicalicus and is unharmed Nevery takes Conn on as an apprentice. As an apprentice Conn is sent to school at the Acedemicos where he becomes friends with Rowan. Conn is given a month to find a locus stone of his own and spends days searching the city. During this time Conn is also gathering evidence on the problem Nevery was investigating, about who is stealing the city’s magic. Though Nevery does not believe it, Conn is convinced that Underlord Crowe is involved with the missing magic. It is not until he searches the Sunrise district of the city that Conn finds his locus stone in the form of the Duchess’s emerald. With help from Nevery the Duchess relinquishes her emerald to Conn, who proves to be a powerful wizard with a locus magicalicus to focus his spells. When Conn is attacked by the Underlord’s minion’s he is even more convinced that Underlord Crowe is involved in the missing magic and sets out to prove it.
Critical Review:
Prineas weaves an intriguing mystery in The Magic Thief. The missing magic is not the only mystery Prineas presents, Conn himself is a mystery and the reader learns something new about the hero with every page. It seems that adults never listen to Conn, something many readers might relate to. Conn is constantly underestimated by friends and enemies alike, but in the end he proves to be smart, resourceful and powerful.
Genre:
Mystery
Fantasy
Interest/Reading Level:
4th to 6th grades
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Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach
Awards:
2008 Cybil Award Finalist
Book Website:
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