The Thief Lord

"I owe this book to the children I worked with as a social worker. I saw their courage, their perseverance, the responsibility they took for their younger siblings when their parents let them down. I wanted to show that children on their own are not just crippled poor things who become mean and broken. I wanted to show their strength, their friendships and their unselfish wish to save each other. My wish when I was a child to grow up—to make my own decisions."