Children of the Fox (Thieves of Shadow #1)
by Kevin Sands (Author)
Ocean's Eleven meets The False Prince in this thrilling heist story for young readers, in which five kids with unusual talents are brought together to commit an impossible crime.
Failure is unacceptable ... but success could be deadly. From the bestselling author of the Blackthorn Key series, this magic-infused fantasy brings together a ragtag group of kids to pull off a crime so difficult, countless adults have already tried and failed. Lured by the promise of more money than they've ever dreamed of, five young criminals are hired to steal a heavily guarded treasure from the most powerful sorcerer in the city. There's Callan the con artist, Meriel the expert at acrobatics (and knives!), Gareth the researcher, Lachlan who can obtain anything, and Foxtail, whose mysterious eyeless mask doesn't hinder her ability to climb walls like a spider.
Though their shadowy backgrounds mean that they've never trusted anyone but themselves, the five must learn to rely on each other in order to get the job done. But as Callan has been warned most of his life, it's best to stay away from magic. It can turn on you at any moment, and make you think you're the one running the con game, when in reality you're the one being fooled. Faced with these unsurmountable odds, can the friends pull off this legendary heist, or has their luck finally run out?
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Publishers Weekly
Fourteen-year-old Callan is a talented con artist with a knack for reading body language. Desperate to earn the money he needs to leave his life of crime, he responds to a mysterious job offer, and he and several other young thieves are presented with the opportunity of a lifetime: in exchange for a payout beyond their wildest dreams, they must steal a priceless magical artifact from the High Weaver, the world's most powerful--and dangerous--man. To get past the target's enchanted wards and defenses, Callan throws in with the largely presumed-white team, which includes acrobatic pickpocket Meriel; researcher Gareth, who stutters; acquisitions expert Lachlan; and nonverbal cat burglar Foxtail, who has brown skin and wears a metal face mask. But even a con man can be conned, and Callan soon discovers that this scheme has apocalyptic stakes. In a sharp-witted series opener, Sands (the Blackthorn Key series) crafts an adventure with mythological undertones and a heist framework. The protagonists' natural chemistry as they learn to collaborate and trust one another helps to ground the epic story, especially once it leans more heavily into fantasy elements, while Callan's narrative voice adds just the right amount of self-aware humor. Ages 8-12. (Oct.)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
Stealing
Criminals
Swindlers and swindling
