Angieville

Earlier today I ran across a list of favorite fictional thieves put together by Julie over at A Small Accomplishment . Love the name of her blog, by the way! Well, you can imagine how my mind immediately took off, conjuring up the familiar, battered faces of my own favorite ne'er-do-wells. So just for fun, here they are (in alphabetical order), the top five, with all their expansive charm, dubious glory, and inescapable claims on my heart: Eugenides   The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner George Cooper  The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce Liesel Meminger   The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Mickle   The Westmark trilogy by Lloyd Alexander Robin Hood  The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley and  Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson Who are your favorite thieves? I'd love to add a few more rascals to the list...

Until The Book Thief came out almost exactly a year ago, I had never heard of Markus Zusak. By the time it reached maximum hype, I was in full resist mode. Upon further pressure, I bent and decided to read Zusak's earlier I am the Messenger. If I love it, then I'll tote The Book Thief home. One night of intense sitting-on-the-bathroom-floor-reading later, I go on a Zusak binge. Today I happily usher him into the A List. Not only is he the long-awaited 2nd male author on the list (I'm certain others qualify for induction, I just haven't read everything they've written yet), but his addition makes the list an actual A to Z List. Mr. Alexander to Mr. Zusak. And all those lovely ladies in between. Lloyd Alexander Jane Austen Madeleine L'Engle Juliet Marillier Robin McKinley Stephenie Meyer Meg Rosoff Sharon Shinn Mary Stewart Ellen Emerson White Markus Zusak