Hang onto your hats, middle-schoolers! Peter Burns takes you on a swashbuckling adventure in The School for Thieves, a story that combines inspirations from Charles Dickens and Alexander Dumas.

Tom Morgan is an orphan living by his wits in a future London, where kids struggle for survival as workhouse slaves. Those clever enough to escape child snatchers work as thieves and peddlers. If that’s not enough, a deadly epidemic is on the rampage. Tom’s fortunes change when Hezekiah von Stuppe, a Gandalf-like character from the Shadow League, recruits him for a special school which sends students on daring missions involving the International Shadow Cup. Though it sounds like a crime syndicate, the league’s purpose is to maintain a balance of power in the world.

What follows is a fast-paced thriller in which Tom and his fellow Tenderfoots undergo rigorous training at a secluded mansion. Competition just to survive the school is fierce, and the consequences of failure can be deadly. Tom, haunted by his brutal experiences in London, must overcome his bitterness and bullying from other students who consider him unworthy. But his street-smart cleverness gives him an advantage over those from wealthy families.

Peter Burns weaves his tale so skillfully that the balance between character development and forward momentum is dazzling. We hardly recover from one crisis before we’re plunged into another. And just when we think we know how the story’s going to turn out, he gives us another twist that makes it even more engrossing.

I highly recommend The School for Thieves not only for adolescents and teenagers, but for adults who remember what it’s like to imagine yourself the hero of an adventure story. 

Chevron Ross's novels include Weapons of Remorse, The Seven-Day Resurrection, and The Samaritan's Patient. Click here for more information.