The Goldsmith and the Master Thief

Description

Twins Jiacomo and Laurenzo look exactly the same - but they are as different as night and day. Hard-working Laurenzo wants to make beautiful things and becomes a goldsmith; Jiacomo loves travel and adventure and uses his wiles to become an excellent thief... The goldsmith and the master thief can easily be mistaken for one another, and this gets them both into and out of all kinds of trouble. From a case of mistaken identity involving the Knight of the Red Rose to the pursuit of the precious silver cups of Talamura, the brothers find themselves caught up in wild adventures that require all of their combined wisdom and cunning.

Tonke Dragt was born in Jakarta in 1930 and spent most of her childhood in Indonesia. Her family moved to the Netherlands after the Second World War and, after studying at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Dragt became an art teacher. She published her first book in 1961, followed a year later by The Letter for the King, which won the Children's Book of the Year award and has been translated into sixteen languages. Dragt was awarded the State Prize for Youth Literature in 1976 and was knighted in 2001.

"[A] wonderful book... Ms. Dragt's drawings are as delightful as her storytelling... What makes The Goldsmith and the Master Thief a joy is its lively spirit; what makes it refreshing is the clarity of its moral sensibility. The characters may stumble and fall, but they quickly right themselves and affirm the values of honesty and loyalty... This is a terrific family read-aloud, ideal for a mix of ages between 4 and 12." - The Wall Street Journal "Even better than The Letter For The King, gorgeous Xmas gift." - Amanda Craig, author of The Lie of the Land "Captivating and beautifully written." - Angels and Urchins