吉恩因吹牛和偷窃锒铛入狱，被铁链拴在国王监狱的墙上。数月的与外界隔绝的生活里，他只能依靠自己的聪明才智才不致发狂。后来国王的学者东方博士解救了他，这是因为东方博士自认为掌握着一个古老宝藏的秘密，现在就缺一个像吉恩这样聪明的盗贼来帮助他实现计划。对于东方博士来说，吉恩不过是个工具。但是吉恩这个经历过九死一生的精明人心里有自己的小算盘。本书充满悬疑的张力，扣人心弦，吉恩的形象跃然纸上，读第二遍甚至比第一遍更为有趣。

Because of his bragging--and his great skill at thievery--Gen lands in the King's Prison, shackled to the wall of his cell. After months of isolation, kept sane only by his sharp intelligence, Gen is released by none other than the King's Scholar, the Magus, who believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. The Magus needs the best thief in the land to help him steal it, and that thief is Gen. To the Magus, Gen is simply a tool. But Gen is a survivor and a trickster--and he has ideas of his own. A tantalizing, suspenseful, exceptionally clever novel.The author's characterization of Gen is simply superb.The Thief is even more fun to re-read. --The Horn Book, starred review To miss this thief's story would be a crime. --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review