Review: Museum of Thieves

My first review back, and the first book in our Advanced Reader Review Program is The Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner.

Goldie Ruth lives in Jewel, a place where fear has become so rampant that helicopter parenting is institutionalized.  In this world people so fear that children will run off, get lost, be kidnapped, or some other dire disaster that the children are literally chained to an adult or to a surface at all times.  When the book begins, Goldie has just reached the age where she will no longer have to wear a silver handcuff, a day that impatient Goldie has been awaiting her whole life.  But just as her cuff is removed, an explosion rocks the city leading to the cancellation of her separation.  Unable to bear the idea of being chained again, Goldie runs away.  However, to disappear in such a well-ordered, law-abiding city proves to be difficult.  The only place Goldie can find refuge is at the Museum of Dunt, an odd, shape-shifting place where only a person with a thief’s mind can hope to survive.

Now, every child I’ve ever met (including me) has at some felt like their parents were dominating his/her entire life.  So, I think everyone can relate to Goldie’s oppression and her need to escape her city’s repressive regime.  In fact, the world Tanner builds is not an entirely unrealistic view of what our world could look like if certain forms of “helicopter” parenting were taken to the extreme.  It’s a relief when Goldie discovers a while different world contained in the museum.  It’s true that this world contains many of the dangers that had been eliminated from Jewel, but at the same time, it also contains much of the creativity, joy, and fun that Jewel has lost in its all-consuming fear.

Obviously, I found the spectacular world-building of this book to be its best feature.  It’s true that there is a great adventure and some interesting characters, but the twist and turns of the city of Jewel and the museum it contains overshadows everything else.  It’s a fun, intriguing book that I found I couldn’t put down.  I would recommend this book for kids ages 9 & up.  There is a fair amount of violence, so I wouldn’t go younger or use the book as a bedtime story for highly imaginative kids.

And since I liked this book so much, it’s my first giveaway for the Advanced Reader Review Program.  To enter the drawing, just leave a comment on this post sometime before Sunday night saying you want the book. I’ll do a drawing first thing Monday morning, post the results as a comment to this post, and the book will be available for pick-up at the BookPeople information desk by Monday afternoon.  Good luck!