The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti - Review

The Good Thief is not a teen book but is so good, and so appropriate for teen readers, that I wanted to review it here. I know - unlike most of the books I usually read - but so very worth it. Especially for those of you who like to lose yourselves in historical fiction.

Ren is rescued from the orphanage in which he grew up one day by a man claiming to be his brother. But Benjamin Nab is no ordinary man and leads him to a life of adventure filled with grave robbers, drunken school teachers, mousetrap girls, dwarves, petty criminals, and a friendly giant.

Dickensian in feel, every detail is vivid, every character stands out and you want to lose yourself in this world where the thief is the good guy, a hidden past can suddenly be both a prison and an escape, and where the dead are not always dead. It is surprising, unusual, and a book to be treasured.