Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Book Jacket

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

When Separation Day is canceled, 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.  Only the cunning mind of a thief can understand the museum's strange, shifting rooms.  Fortunately, Goldie has a talent for thieving.

Which is just as well, because the leader of the Blessed Guardians has his own plans for the museum--plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves.  And it will take a daring thief to stop him...

Museum of Thieves is a thrilling tale of destiny and danger, and of a courageous girl who has never been allowed to grow up--until now.

Review

I can officially declare that my new favorite genre is dystopian stories.  I love books that expand upon one aspect of our current culture until it becomes something monstrous and eerily believable.

Museum of Thieves is a fascinating picture of a society so bound by fear that there is little joy or excitement left in life.  Children are chained to their parents until they are sixteen for their own protection (lest they drown in water or be kidnapped by pirates), and everything that could possibly be dangerous (from dogs to plague) is kept hidden in the Museum of Dunt.

I loved this book, and I found myself questioning the value of safety and security.  What good is life without a little danger?  One of my favorite moments is when Goldie discovers the joy of running, something she had never been allowed to do before, because of course, you're far more likely to fall when running than walking.

This book has magic, adventure, villians, heroes, and awesome animal sidekicks.  There were times when the mythology was a little confusing, but regardless, I couldn't put this book down.

Four out of five hidden rooms.

Release Date:  September 2010
Reading Level:  Grade 4+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  Not yet owned by Dunlap.