Museum of Thieves

September 1, 2010

In Jewel, all threats, from wild animals to slave traders, are kept at bay—many literally imprisoned in the strangely organic Museum of Dunt. Children are fiercely protected by the Blessed Guardians and wear silver "guardchains" until formal Separation ceremonies release them. Bold, impatient Goldie, her own Separation scuttled by civil unrest, steals a scissors and escapes. A political struggle between the liberalizing Protector and her brother, the power-mad Fugelman, unleashes nonstop mayhem. As Guardians infiltrate the Museum, threatening its seething, barely checked life force, four Museum protectors pluck Goldie from certain imprisonment in Jewel and train her for her role as fifth Protector. Tanner layers it thickly—besides the present dangers and a culminating, ultimately liberating storm, there are Jewel's lurking, violent past, seven gods (off stage, so far) and the barely tapped mysteries of the shapeshifting Museum (with its morphing staircase, Dirty Gate and clever denizens). And—last chapter—an apparently dispatched antagonist reappears. Bring on the teeming sequels, number one of which is due in Fall 2011. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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October 1, 2010

Gr 4-8-In the city of Jewel, children are chained to their parents or to the Blessed Guardians from birth until Separation at age 16. Now the Grand Protector has lowered the ceremony to age 12, and the Blessed Guardians are furious. When a bomb interrupts 12-year-old Goldie Roth's Separation Day, she takes advantage of the chaos to run away, ultimately finding her way to the Museum of Dunt. Its four Guardians teach her how to survive on her own, how to steal, and how to live within the mysterious institution, which is much bigger than it seems, since it is constantly changing and home to all of the long-ago perils that filled Jewel back when it was the dangerous city of Dunt. When local politics endanger the existence of the Museum and its Guardians, and release war, plague, and other horrors on the city, Goldie and Toadspit have to come up with a plan for defeating the forces within in order to preserve the existence of Jewel. Tanner creates an enticing world, and the action picks up rapidly when Goldie enters the Museum. Readers are drawn into Jewel's past and present, learning along Goldie and wishing that they could acquire some of her nearly magical talents. A fun read and an intriguing start to a new series.-Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2010
Grades 4-7 The children of Jewel are well protected. Each wears a silver guard chain that links them to their parents or the Blessed Guardians. Goldie Roth sometimes also wears the brass punishment chain for her willfulness in both action and attitude. On the day of her separation ceremony, when 12-year-olds are to be freed from their chains, all hell breaks loose. A bomb goes off, and it looks like the children wont be separated after all. That doesnt work for Goldie, who runs away, putting herself in danger and her parents in prison. She winds up at a mysterious museum, where she learns that she may have an important part in saving her city and the danger coming at it from many sides. Easy to read, with plenty of action and strange events, this will be popular with fans of Diana Wynne Jones. Best of all are the strong characters, not just Goldie but those who oppose her, like the Fugleman, the leader of the Blessed Guardians, who has his own plans for Jewel. To be continued.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)