Book Descriptions
for The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
Vita Marlowe is a Polio survivor with a crooked left foot and a Swiss Army knife. Do not underestimate her. Within seconds, she can see that Victor Sorrotore is an unscrupulous con man. He flat out stole her grieving grandfather's Hudson River castle. With tenacious gumption, Vita immediately concocts the plan to steal back what belongs to her ancestral family. However, the streets of 1920s Manhattan are not all that safe during Prohibition, especially for a British foreigner. So, Vita assembles a ragtag team of pickpockets and circus performers to mastermind the plan.
2018 Costa Children's Book Award, 2019 Foyles Children's Book of the Year, 2020 British Book of the Year Finalist – Children's Fiction.
Katherine Rundell is a bestselling author of award-winning children's novels. Charles Santoso has been drawing professionally for over fourteen years.
England. Originally published in English by Bloomsbury Children's Books in 2019. Published in the United States by Simon & Schuster in 2019.
© USBBY, 2022. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
“A dazzling tale of wild hope, lingering grief, admirable self-sufficiency, and intergenerational adoration.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Vita tests her own limits, and readers will thrill at her cleverness, tenacity, and close escapes.” —Booklist
“A satisfying adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews
From award-winning author Katherine Rundell comes a fast-paced and utterly thrilling adventure driven by the loyalty and love between a grandfather and his granddaughter.
When Vita’s grandfather’s mansion is taken from him by a powerful real estate tycoon, Vita knows it’s up to her to make things right.
With the help of a pickpocket and her new circus friends, Vita creates the plan: Break into the mansion. Steal back what’s rightfully her grandfather’s. Expose the real estate tycoon for the crook he truly is.
But 1920s Manhattan is ever-changing and full of secrets. It might take more than Vita’s ragtag gang of misfits to outsmart the city that never sleeps.
Award-winning author Katherine Rundell has created an utterly gripping tour de-force about loyalty, trust, and the lengths to which we’ll go for the ones we love.
“Vita tests her own limits, and readers will thrill at her cleverness, tenacity, and close escapes.” —Booklist
“A satisfying adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews
From award-winning author Katherine Rundell comes a fast-paced and utterly thrilling adventure driven by the loyalty and love between a grandfather and his granddaughter.
When Vita’s grandfather’s mansion is taken from him by a powerful real estate tycoon, Vita knows it’s up to her to make things right.
With the help of a pickpocket and her new circus friends, Vita creates the plan: Break into the mansion. Steal back what’s rightfully her grandfather’s. Expose the real estate tycoon for the crook he truly is.
But 1920s Manhattan is ever-changing and full of secrets. It might take more than Vita’s ragtag gang of misfits to outsmart the city that never sleeps.
Award-winning author Katherine Rundell has created an utterly gripping tour de-force about loyalty, trust, and the lengths to which we’ll go for the ones we love.
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
