I grabbed it on a whim knowing that it might be too young for me, and ended up really enjoying it. If you enjoy middle grade novels and adventure stories, THE GOOD THIEVES is a great choice. I get and support wanting to be respectful, but this book takes place in what I suspect is the 1920s due to the references to Polio and speakeasies, and I think there are ways to describe someone with respect that don't come across as glaringly anachronistic. The only thing that made me raise an eyebrow was the use of the word 'Latinx' to describe a character who appears once. That isn't always the case in these types of books, and that emptiness of emotion can make it hard to suspend one's disbelief. I could see why he inspired Vita to do what she did. I also loved Vita's grandfather: his love for his wife and his family radiated off the pages. It has everything I love in kids' books: fast-paced adventure, a strong heroine, and friendship. This reminded me a lot of Up and I think it would make a good Pixar movie, to be honest. If they can get it, they'll have the funds they need to hire a good lawyer and prove once and for all that this whole thing was just the scam of a petty conman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Their plan is to storm the castle and steal the emerald necklace her grandfather hid in one of the rooms many years ago. She ends up enlisting the help of some other kids, including a bird-tamer, an acrobat, and a thief.

Since the law isn't handling it, Vita decides to take the castle back by force. The home was filled with memories of his late, beloved wife, and now he has only Vita to remember her by, Vita who has her smile.

In the words of school-yard bullies everywhere, he tells them gleefully, 'No take-backsies.' Vita is filled with fury aimed at this man, who is taking advantage of her ailing, heartbroken grandfather.

Vita is from impoverished nobility and all that remains of their lineage is their name and a castle- a castle that has left their possession because of an evil land developer named Sorrotore who claims that her grandfather, perhaps suffering from dementia, has sold him the castle for a paltry $200. Even though it's clearly written for a young audience, the writing doesn't condescend and it has a great vocabulary, so it ends up being the type of story that virtually anyone can enjoy. Reading this book made me remember some of the middle grade adventure stories I consumed as a young kid, penned by authors such as Bruce Coville, Eva Ibbotson, and Roald Dahl.

The good thieves review