In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the d...
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May 08, 2008
Kimberly
rated it: 
Conn just wanted some money to pay for his meal when he picked a wizard, Nevery's, pocket. Taking Nevery's locus magicalicus (a stone that helps wizards to focus when using magic) should have caused Conn to die. But he didn't. Nevery finds this interesting, and takes Conn in as his apprentice (more of a servant, though.)
Life is still difficult for Conn even though he gets fed, has a roof over his head, and he even learns how to read. There is contempt for him since he is a known thie More...
Life is still difficult for Conn even though he gets fed, has a roof over his head, and he even learns how to read. There is contempt for him since he is a known thie More...
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Mar 23, 2008
R.j.
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This book made me absurdly and enormously happy.
The Magic Thief has a number of familiar fantasy motifs and character types. But in Sarah Prineas's hands a story that could have been predictable instead has a wonderful freshness and vitality about it. The invented world in which Conn moves has a Dickensian flair without being merely alt-Victoriana, and its magical system is both well imagined and intriguing.
The characters in The Magic Thief are realistically flawed and f More...
The Magic Thief has a number of familiar fantasy motifs and character types. But in Sarah Prineas's hands a story that could have been predictable instead has a wonderful freshness and vitality about it. The invented world in which Conn moves has a Dickensian flair without being merely alt-Victoriana, and its magical system is both well imagined and intriguing.
The characters in The Magic Thief are realistically flawed and f More...
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Oct 10, 2008
Lucy
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Conn is a thief--a pickpocket, lockpick and gutterboy. Living in the Twilight, the seedy district of the magical city of Wellmet, there's not much else he could be. But when he picks the pocket of the wizard Nevery and comes out with Nevery's locus magicalicus, he's stolen more than he expected.
Nevery expects Conn to be dead--and fast--but when Conn doesn't die, Nevery decides to keep him around--just for a little while. Just until he figures out why not.
While Nevery m More...
Nevery expects Conn to be dead--and fast--but when Conn doesn't die, Nevery decides to keep him around--just for a little while. Just until he figures out why not.
While Nevery m More...
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Jun 07, 2008
A.J.
rated it: 
Okay, I guess I'm the first to give this book a review after its official publication date (June 3 or thereabouts).
To begin I think a bit of background is in order, because the 3-star rating I gave is deceptively low. The rating only reflects the book and its success stacked against myself as a reader with particular tastes and preferences. This book is definitely for the kiddies. It isn't designed to thrust itself among the greatest epic fantasy stories ever told, and in the darkne More...
To begin I think a bit of background is in order, because the 3-star rating I gave is deceptively low. The rating only reflects the book and its success stacked against myself as a reader with particular tastes and preferences. This book is definitely for the kiddies. It isn't designed to thrust itself among the greatest epic fantasy stories ever told, and in the darkne More...
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Aug 23, 2008
Shippseattle
rated it:
So Much fun to read. Turns out this will be a trilogy. Looking forward to readding the next two
In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the ...more
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In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and touched the wizard's locus magica More...
In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the ...more
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In a city that runs on a dwindling supply of magic, a young boy is drawn into a life of wizardry and adventure. Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and touched the wizard's locus magica More...
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May 21, 2010
LOVED this one! I had actually held off in reading this one for awhile--the cover art made me think it was a little more childish than I usually read (though now I quite like it and see it's relevance in the book). Boy, was I wrong. Once I picked it up and started reading, the voice of the characters totally drug me into the story. I couldn't put it down, clear as clear. The plot twists and turns, and although I guessed the big twist at the end, I still loved the writing and the action kept me o
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Jul 11, 2011
Kate
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Enjoyable fantasy with steampunky elements; I enjoyed the conceit that industry is powered by magic in the land of Wellmet, with urban decline explained by a decrease in the amount of magic available to Wellmet's wizards. Conn is an endearing main character, whose voice leads us through the majority of the story. The chapters which he narrates are much more compelling than the short snippets we read from the journal of Nevery, the wizard who somewhat unwillingly takes Conn on as an apprentice
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Jul 02, 2011
Lj
rated it: 
I think the idea is that this book would appeal to readers of the Septimus Heap series, the Fablehaven series, and those seeking out another good series about a boy wizard in training, but fantasy is not all created equal. That being said, even the first Harry Potter book had its flaws, and I adore that series, so I'm giving The Magic Thief a chance.
The plot is as follows: Conn is a young thief forced into the profession by desperate circumstances. His mother is dead and there's no o More...
The plot is as follows: Conn is a young thief forced into the profession by desperate circumstances. His mother is dead and there's no o More...
Jun 29, 2011
Grade 3–6—Conn, a pickpocket on the streets of Twilight, one day picks the pocket of a powerful wizard and steals his locus magicalicus, the center of his power. It should kill Conn, but it doesn't. Nevery, the wizard, has just returned after a 22-year exile, to try to save the town from the leaching of its magic, upon which so much, including its economy, depends. Curious about the boy, Nevery takes him on as an assistant and then an apprentice. Although it is the wizard's job to stem the tide
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May 31, 2011
Justin
rated it: 
The book "The Magic Thief" is about a kid named Connwaer that lives on the streets and is an excellet pickpocketer. Connwaer pickpocketed a wizard's pocket and grabbed the wizards locus stone then it started glowing really bright. The wizard returned and saw that he had it so he said a spell and stopped it. The wizard was surprised because if another person touches the stone they end up dieing, but not Connwaer so the wizard took Connwaer as his apprentice. In the city the wizard lives
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Feb 19, 2011
Bette
rated it:
I liked this book a lot. It's a bit derivative of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. There is a wizard school, for instance, but the focus of the book on schooling isn't nearly as prominent as in Harry Potter. But overall, Prineas succeeds in creating a unique alternative fantasy world with an engaging protagonist. The main character, Conn, is a clever pickpocket and lock picker. He is "nosy," according to the wizard, Nevery, but it's his curiosity that leads him to solve the mystery o
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Jan 13, 2011
Andy
rated it: 
This book, the first in a trilogy, is a great example of how children’s book publishers are putting out way too many series and lots of bad fantasy in an attempt to make money. Connwaer has lots of street smarts and a skilled pick-pocketing hand. At the start of the story he steals the locus magicalicus of the Wizard Nevery Flinglas. This magical device should kill Conn, but doesn’t. And so, Conn is taken in with interest and some apprehension by the wizard Nevery. Magic abounds in their ci
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Nov 08, 2010
Truly
rated it:
Kalau bicara urusan perut, apapun bisa terjadi
Demi kelangsungan hidupnya, Connwear,biasa dipanggil Conn, terpaksa mencuri.Biasanya sebagai ahli membuka kunci dan memiliki kecepatan tangan ytang hebat, ia tidak pernah gagal. Suatu saat tanpa sengaja ia mencopet seorang lelaki tua yang ternyata adalah Nevery, penyihir yang terbuang 20 tahun silam.. Ia kembali karena merasa pengaruh sihir yang mulai menurun.Celakanya ia tak sengaja menyentuh locus magicalicus milik Nevery. Biasanya o More...
Demi kelangsungan hidupnya, Connwear,biasa dipanggil Conn, terpaksa mencuri.Biasanya sebagai ahli membuka kunci dan memiliki kecepatan tangan ytang hebat, ia tidak pernah gagal. Suatu saat tanpa sengaja ia mencopet seorang lelaki tua yang ternyata adalah Nevery, penyihir yang terbuang 20 tahun silam.. Ia kembali karena merasa pengaruh sihir yang mulai menurun.Celakanya ia tak sengaja menyentuh locus magicalicus milik Nevery. Biasanya o More...
Aug 23, 2010
Patrice
rated it:
GENRE: Fiction, fantasy.
SUMMARY: When Conn, young pickpocket and sneakster extraordinaire, takes the great magician Nevery's special wizard stone from his pocket and lives, Nevery becomes intrigued. Before long he makes Conn his apprentice, though the magical magistrate will not recognize Conn as such until he finds his own special wizard stone, called a locus magicalicus. Conn has only 30 days to complete this task, and Nevery is too busy trying to determine why the supply of magic More...
SUMMARY: When Conn, young pickpocket and sneakster extraordinaire, takes the great magician Nevery's special wizard stone from his pocket and lives, Nevery becomes intrigued. Before long he makes Conn his apprentice, though the magical magistrate will not recognize Conn as such until he finds his own special wizard stone, called a locus magicalicus. Conn has only 30 days to complete this task, and Nevery is too busy trying to determine why the supply of magic More...
Jul 22, 2010
Kater
rated it:
This book is a middle grade fantasy, and though its protagonist is "somewhere between 12 and 14" I think that beginning readers and picky readers won't like it. Not that it's poorly written; on a sentence-by-sentence level, Prineas is adept. It felt bland and derivative. I admit, this may be that I am not in the book's target audience, but I have enjoyed other MG novels.
Conn is a gutter-dwelling pickpocket who steals a wizard's magic stone, the Magicalicus Locus, which my m More...
Conn is a gutter-dwelling pickpocket who steals a wizard's magic stone, the Magicalicus Locus, which my m More...
Jul 17, 2010
Local author Sarah Prineas has struck gold with The Magic Thief, the first book in the children’s series by the same name. In a setting that brings to mind Dickensian London, the young thief Conn pickpockets the local magicalus of a powerful magician Nevery Flingas. Intrigued that Conn is not killed by such an act, Flingas takes on Conn as an apprentice magician. Equally drawn to magic and the solid meals the lovable house-thug Bennett provides, Conn undertakes to make a go of it. While he has s
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Feb 08, 2010
Hallie
rated it:
This one just felt right from the beginning and continued to hit me the right way throughout. It's a bit younger than I normally read, but the fact that I never felt the least bit less enjoyment from it says a lot.
It's extraordinary because if you set up the plot it sounds very, very old. Young boy, underdog of the first order (orphan, "gutterboy", pick-pocket), taken up, reluctantly, by an older wizard - a grumpy and often distracted one who ultimately comes to care for More...
It's extraordinary because if you set up the plot it sounds very, very old. Young boy, underdog of the first order (orphan, "gutterboy", pick-pocket), taken up, reluctantly, by an older wizard - a grumpy and often distracted one who ultimately comes to care for More...
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Sep 20, 2009
Debbie
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Making a living on the Twilight side of Wellmet, Connwaer (Conn) was commonly referred to as a gutter boy with quick hands as a pick pocket and a lock pick. Picking the pocket of the wizard Nevery Flinglas should have left him dead, but instead it left Nevery interested in why his locus magicalicus (wizards magical stone) had not hurt the street boy. Knowing the magic of Wellmet was declining, Nevery was asked to find the cause and help to solve the problem. Taking Conn on as an apprentice proba
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Apr 04, 2009
Dawn
rated it:
This is a great little fantasy book. Thanks to Wendy and Rose for recommending it. My son loved it, and it was also a good read-aloud for me and my husband. The elements and plot aren't unique--orphan boy takes up with Gandalf-type wizard, finds that he has magical talent and saves the city. But the way Prineas puts it all together is refreshing and quite good. Well drawn, appealing characters. Benet is delightful. I found Con's self-confidence unusual, but effective. I really like Prine
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Aug 09, 2011
Christine
rated it:
The Magic Thief is, in every meaning of the word, magical. The characters feel realistic and mysterious, their relationships natural and the narrator's voice is simple while filled with character. The world teems with life, smells and tastes and with a very strong sense of time and place, and the magic system is inventive, something we really need after Harry Potter and countless of Sword & Sorcery books. Indeed, Prineas' debut novel is easy to praise, but it - like all books - has it's flaws. I
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Mar 26, 2010
Charlyn
rated it:
The story is told in first person by Conn, the thief; through the journal of Mevery, the wizard; and in correspondence to and from him. Conn has forever been a thief, but when he steals a wizard's magic stone and nothing happens, the wizard takes an interest in the boy. Conn becomes Nevery's apprentice, an uneasy assignment for both the boy and his master. To be an apprentice and accepted by the council of wizards, Conn must first find his own magic stone, not an easy task. When Nevery is as
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Jul 29, 2011
I would put this somewhere between Lemony Snickett and Percy Jackson in terms of how well constructed a story this is--I decided to read this after the second book came out. Everyone I know In Iowa City has read this becasue the author is a local, and it has gotten good reviews from people I respect in the children's literature realm. Conn is a compelling kid--very magical but unconscious of it, and his mentor is a complicated character as well. They are both on the margins of society, the me
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Oct 29, 2009
Anna
rated it:
Connwaer is a thief, a very deft one. He has survived on the streets by virtue of his quick hands and one night he steals something out of a wizard’s pocket. He unknowingly steals the wizard’s locus magicalicus… and it almost kills him.
After the first chapter the book slows down but by page 100 I couldn't put it down! The pacing becomes marvelous and the story is interesting (although not overly complex). Kids who liked The Candy Shop War might also enjoy this book. Oh! My one gripe More...
After the first chapter the book slows down but by page 100 I couldn't put it down! The pacing becomes marvelous and the story is interesting (although not overly complex). Kids who liked The Candy Shop War might also enjoy this book. Oh! My one gripe More...
Jun 02, 2011
Noninuna
rated it:
As an avid Harry Potter fan, I'm glad there is another book (among many others) that using the magic environment but having its own identity.
This book is about a boy named Conn, a pickpocket that just doing his everyday activity, picking pocket when he choose a wrong victim. He met Nevery, a cast out wizard that just got back to Wellmet. A situation happened that make Nevery take Conn along with him back to his house. Later, Conn discovered that he is indeed a wizard. As the story pr More...
This book is about a boy named Conn, a pickpocket that just doing his everyday activity, picking pocket when he choose a wrong victim. He met Nevery, a cast out wizard that just got back to Wellmet. A situation happened that make Nevery take Conn along with him back to his house. Later, Conn discovered that he is indeed a wizard. As the story pr More...
Nov 18, 2009
Sensitivemuse
rated it:
This book was a short quick read, and filled with action to keep you turning page after page. What I really liked is the really neat illustrations that comes with each chapter. Also in between chapters, is pages that looks like it's from Nevery's journal in his writing and in his point of view which adds a little bit more to the plot to round it out evenly. This was also nice to read and it was a nice addition to the book. What I also enjoyed were the names of the places and setting of the book:
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Mar 13, 2009
Vickie
rated it:
I can't get over how good this book was to listen to. It's gauged towards 9-12 year olds, so I must really be in touch with my inner child. Sarah Prineas also must be (is) an excellent writer. I was cheering for Conn, the main character who is not sure how old he is since he was basically raised in the Twilight (read slums), didn't have much schooling or much need of it. He does know how to move fast, pick pockets and pick locks 'quick as quick'. He picks the pocket of Nevery, a wizard, and take
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Nov 11, 2011
Howardh014
rated it:
This boy named Connwaer was just walking around until a wizard comes up to him and says who are you? So Connwaer said I don't like giving away my name and then the wizard said I don't either but give me your name. Connwaer runs away and says his name. The next day the homeless boy Connwaer was asleep next to a garbage can and the wizard from the other day comes up to the boy and says do you want to be my apprentice? The boy says sure. So after that the two of them went to go get some food and th
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Oct 04, 2010
Lindsay
rated it:
I know JK Rowling doesn't have the monopoly on all books about boy wizards (or does she?). But, I feel we've been spoiled by Harry Potter. And any book with similar themes seems to pale in comparison. It isn't really fair, but any children's author that dares to write a book about magic will probably be compared to Mrs. Rowling. I think that this might have gotten one more star from me if she had changed up the whole 'boy doesn't know he is a wizard/chosen-one/prodigy/resisted death because
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Jan 03, 2012
ckodama152
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The Magic Thief is the first book in a trilogy about a boy named Connwaer (Conn for short) who is a thief and a pickpocket. He decides one day to steal from a man walking down the street. Usually this does no harm to Conn, who is an excellent pickpocket, but the man he chooses to steal from is none other than the wizard Nevery. Conn succeeds in stealing a rock from Nevery only to discover that the stone he stole is the wizard's locus magicalicus, a stone used to perform magic and cast spells.
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May 12, 2011
Chris
rated it:
With a recommendation from Diana Wynne Jones ('I couldn't put it down. Wonderful, exciting stuff') The Magic Thief (the first in a series with the same name and consequently re-titled Stolen) challenges the reader to dare contradict such a distinguished fantasy writer. Bravely, I'm going to try.
Yes, I too couldn't put it down. Well, actually I did, but only to catch up on some sleep, but at nearly 400 pages that's to be expected. The action pulled you along, aided by the almost breat More...
Yes, I too couldn't put it down. Well, actually I did, but only to catch up on some sleep, but at nearly 400 pages that's to be expected. The action pulled you along, aided by the almost breat More...
