The School for Thieves

Gr 5-8–Thirteen-year-old orphan Tom Morgan has grown up on the tough streets of London as a seasoned con, knowing nothing about his parents aside from his mother’s potential Egyptian background. When his friends get snatched and imprisoned in a workhouse, he is determined to free them. The mysterious Corsair offers Tom a spot at Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts, promising fortune and a chance to help his friends if he’s willing to risk death daily. Tom is quickly expected to learn the ropes, from forging identities to switching priceless jewels. The school is divided into six categories of achievements, with first-year Tom starting as a Tenderfoot, leaving room for multiple subsequent installments. The alternative to progressing at the school is death, and because Tom isn’t a legacy, he starts with enemies and is forced to forge alliances not knowing who is trustworthy and who is out to destroy him. Readers will be intrigued by the high stakes of Tom’s journey, and the richness of this world of spies and deception.