Kind of Thief Hb (New Windmill) [Hardcover]

Vivien Alcock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1993 | Series: New Windmill

One of a series of top-quality fiction for schools, this is the story of Elinor, who cannot believe that her rich and successful father is a criminal. When he is convicted of fraud, Elinor is left with a mysterious lost luggage token. She is soon in possession of a locked case. Should she open it?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Along with her British compatriots Peter Dickinson, Nina Bawden and Gillian Cross, Alcock writes some of the smartest, most engrossing YA fiction around--and her latest novel is no exception. After Elinor's father is arrested for his involvement in a shady business deal, his flighty second wife decamps to Italy with her infant son, leaving Elinor and her siblings to be parceled out to relatives they hardly know. Elinor is sent to stay with Aggie, her father's cousin. There she meets Aggie's mother, the ill-tempered Mrs. Carter, and Timon, her mercurial foster son. Timon is determined to regain Mrs. Carter's life savings, embezzled by Elinor's father, which may lie inside the locked suitcase that Elinor has secretly retrieved from Victoria Station. Though the story's neat-and-tidy happy ending is at odds with its emotionally sophisticated tone, readers will find much to relish in the doings of these idiosyncratic characters. Infused with a bittersweet seriousness, the work considers an assortment of weighty issues, all the while providing a pulse-quickening read. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-- A convincing story of a girl who's forced to reevaluate her world and those around her. Elinor, 13, is stunned when the police come one morning to arrest her father for embezzlement. While the officers are distracted, her father slips her a luggage claim receipt. Later, when her stepmother asks about it, Elinor tells her she's destroyed it and secretly retrieves the case herself. She is uneasy over having the overnight bag but refuses to let her younger brother force it open; when they are parcelled out among relatives they barely know, Elinor takes it with her. She learns that her father has not only stolen from strangers but also from the very aunt and cousins who have reluctantly taken her in. Questions of whether she should open the case, to whom the money rightly belongs, and how she can best care for herself and her siblings are deftly handled by this master storyteller. Realistic characters, careful plotting, and the right amount of suspense combine to make A Kind of Thief a real page-turner. A grabber of a cover doesn't hurt either. --Jo-Anne Weinberg, Greenburgh Pub . Lib . , NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann ed (June 18, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 043512403X
• ISBN-13: 978-0435124038
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good young adult read, May 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Kind of Thief (Paperback)

As an older teenager who reads young adult books for kicks, I found this book very enjoyable. It has an interesting plot and emotional depth...