Review: Smith: The Story of a Pickpocket by Leon Garfield

Smith: The Story of a Pickpocket by Leon Garfield.

The New York Review Chilren's Collection
Publication Date: November 2013
List Price: $15.99
ISBN-13: 9781590176757

Review: Heroes are handsome, charming, and good people, right? Wrong! In Smith the Story of a Pickpocket by Leon Garfield a dirty pickpocket actually saves the day and helps people.

The main character Smith is an interesting, dirty, and a daring boy who is twelve-years-old boy who lives in the busy and winding streets of eighteenth century London. Smith has two sisters Miss Fanny and Miss Bridget that tease him. One day he quietly and cautiously follows a man with a noisy pocket, and is lead into a whole heap of trouble. Smith swiftly picks the man's pocket and quickly escapes. Afterwards Smith hides in a doorway and sees two men murder the man and search his pockets. After so he runs into a blind man who is somehow connected to this but Smith doesn't know it and aids the man. What was so important that they a man's life? What has Smith found gotten himself into? What role does this blind man play? Can Smith escape or will he find himself dead like that man? All these questions and more can be answered when you read Smith the Story of a Pickpocket.

Smith The Story of a Pickpocket is a clever mystery and adventure for elementary students. The book has many good points such as the realistic characters that accurately depict life in 18th century London. For example, Miss Bridget and Miss Fanny are annoying and clever sisters of Smith that knit. Plus there's saint Miss Mansfield, who tends to her blind father the magistrate. Not only are the characters interesting, but also it is a fast-paced adventure so you won't be left unsatisfied. It has many twists and turns in the story. An example would be the forever chase between Smith and the two men in the pitch-black night. But keeping up with plot can be challenging, as the book is a little confusing at times. So if you can hang on tight and don't get confused, you would be glued to the story like a cat on a mouse.

So be sure to check out Smith The Story of a Pickpocket by Leon Garfield.

Review written by Tej (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Media Masters Publicity for providing a copy of Smith: The Story of a Pickpocket for this review.

Have you read Smith: The Story of a Pickpocket? How would you rate it?