The Second Greatest Thief

In this thrilling steampunk fantasy that will have you on the edge of your seat, a young and clever thief must pull off a major heist with a life-changing prize.

Twelve-year-old Lira Angleson has only one goal: to become a Master Thief. If she’s successful, she’ll be the youngest in New York City’s Honorable Thieves Guild to accomplish it—an extraordinary feat. But when her final heist to earn the title goes wrong, she’s about to lose everything she’s worked so hard for. Desperate, she strikes a risky deal with the Guild’s Grandmaster: If she can complete an upcoming heist so dangerous that most thieves aren’t willing to try, he will grant her the coveted title. If she loses, she’s out of the guild forever. 

There’s just one catch. Lira’s brother, William, famously known as the city’s greatest thief, has his own reasons for needing to win the prize. Can Lira outsmart her brother to snatch it first, or will the heist be too deadly for either of them to pull off and survive?

Christine Cohen’s middle grade debut has it all: adrenaline-spiking action, a colorful cast of characters impossible not to love, and a plot twist you’ll never see coming.