Review: Museum of Thieves

Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

release date: September 28, 2010

Hardcover, 256 pages

intended audience: Middle grade

source: purchased

rating:


description:
Welcome to the tyrannical city of Jewel, where impatience is a sin and boldness is a crime. Goldie Roth has lived in Jewel all her life. Like every child in the city, she wears a silver guardchain and is forced to obey the dreaded Blessed Guardians. She has never done anything by herself and won’t be allowed out on the streets unchained until Separation Day. When Separation Day is canceled, Goldie, who has always been both impatient and bold, runs away, risking not only her own life but also the lives of those she has left behind. In the chaos that follows, she is lured to the mysterious Museum of Dunt, where she meets the boy Toadspit and discovers terrible secrets. Only the cunning mind of a thief can understand the museum’s strange, shifting rooms. Fortunately, Goldie has a talent for thieving. Which is just as well, because the leader of the Blessed Guardians has his own plans for the museum—plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves. And it will take a daring thief to stop him. . . . Museum of Thieves is a thrilling tale of destiny and danger, and of a courageous girl who has never been allowed to grow up—until now.

Review: What a fun adventure! The Museum of Thieves is set in the dystopian city of Jewel where everyone is so overprotective and fearful that they chain their children in "guardchains" to protect them from being hurt or running off by themselves. These chains are held during the day by the Blessed Guardians, who seem to have become a little power-hungry from having so much control over the children. The poor children are even chained during the night to their beds! The society has been convinced that this is the best way to keep them safe. When they reach the age of sixteen, the chains are removed during the Separation ceremony, only this year is the first year that the age has been lowered to twelve, and our heroine, Goldie, is going to be the first twelve-year-old to be separated. When the ceremony is interrupted and then cancelled altogether, Goldie runs away and finds herself at the mysterious Museum of Dunt.

This book is filled to the brim with amusing characters! Least of which is the main character, Goldie Roth. She is headstrong and undaunted, which before her daring escape would land her in punishment chains often! She is sometimes guided by a mysterious voice in her head, and we are left to speculate exactly what this voice really is (Is it just her conscience? Strong sense of intuition? Or is she somehow channeling her brave Aunt Praise who disappeared from Jewel years ago?) Goldie is a fun character to read, very realistic in that she sometimes shows her innocence with slightly childish behaviour, and sometimes she is very wise and mature, but she always seems up for a challenge.

Throughout her adventure we meet Sinew, Toadspit, Olga Ciavolga, and Herro Dan. Great supporting characters, although I would have like to know a bit more background about them all and how they came to be at the museum. This is the beginning of the series, so hopefully we will get to hear more about them, and also how the museum came to be in the sequels! The Museum itself is almost like it's own living, breathing character in this book! For me, there were a few dips in the story where my attention was not completely gripped, but for the most part, an enthralling adventure!

Cover story: The cover of this book is one of my favorites out there! What fantastic artwork, so detailed and a perfect depiction of the wonders of the museum. Check out the Australian and German covers---equally as beautiful! I love the worn book-look of the Aussie cover!

The second book in this series, City of Lies will be published in 2011, and the third, Path of Beasts, in 2012.

Visit Lian Tanner's website here!

Purchase Museum of Thieves at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository

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