Museum of Thieves (great little chapter book)

I bought this one awhile ago at the Fall Scholastic Book Fair and catalogued (one of the talents I have as I have a Library Science degree) it into the library.  I read a few pages and knew it was going to be good.  Then I set it down and went about my business.

I picked it back up two years later.  None of the kiddos were reading it so I had to investigate further and I loved it.  I'm ready for the second one to come around, which upon investigation is out and so is the 3rd one!  This is the bonus of reading books before you recommend them; this morning I had a student come in looking for something "mysterious"-I handed her this one and told her to give it a try.

Synopsis:

Welcome to the tyrannical city of Jewel, where impatience is a sin and boldness is  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 her Separation Day.

When Separation Day is cancelled, 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. {back cover}

I have post-it notes littered throughout the book of quotes I just couldn't resist:

But she (Olga Ciavolga) was smiling when she turned back to Goldie.  "But there are some things, child, that you should steal, if you have enough love and courage in your heart.  You must snatch freedom from the hands of the tyrant.  You must spirit away innocent lives before they are destroyed.  You must hide secret and sacred places." {122-123}

There are different sorts of fear, she (Goldie) realized that now.  There was the fear of having a musket held to your head, or having black oily water try to snatch you into its depths.  There was nothing easy about that fear.  It made your heart nearly tear itself out of your chest, and weakened the long bones in your legs so that you could barely stand.  It made you want to vomit with fright.
But there was another sort of fear, the fear that you would never be allowed to be who you really were. The fear that you true self would have to stay squashed up, like a caged bird, for the rest of your life.  That fear was worse than any soldier.  {179}

and one more...

"The museum should never have become so full of wild and dangerous things," said Sinew.  "But the people of Jewel are like Guardian Hope, with her planks and hammers.  They tried to nail life down.  they wanted to be completely safe and happy at all times.  The trouble is, the world just isn't like that.  You can't have high mountains without deep valleys.  You can't have great happiness without great sadness.  The world is never still.  It moves from one thing to another, back and forth, back and forth, like a butterfly opening and closing it's wings."  {197}

Goldie is a brave young girl who listens to her inner voice which takes her places she'd have never thought to venture otherwise.  Her and Toadspit try to think through how to solve the problems they face.  They are surrounded by interesting adults who guide them.  What's not to love??

Lian Tanner's Website-with games for the museum!
Random House fun website for this series.

Happy Friday!