Vanja Schmidt’s mother abandons her at the age of four, pleading with Death and Fortune to adopt her. As the thirteenth child of a thirteenth child, bad luck seems to be a part of Vanja’s entire existence. At 13, she had the choice to decide which god to serve for the rest of her life. She’s not crazy about that, so she comes up with a plan to gather enough money to get as far away from them as possible. Little Thieves by Margaret Owen is a retelling of the Brothers’ Grimm tale “The Goose Girl”, in which 16-year-old Vanja steals the identity of a princess and mingles with nobles to steal enough funds to be free – but not without some roadblocks. 

Vanja used to be the real Princess Giselle’s maid/childhood friend, stuck with serving cruel royalty and enduring the misfortune that comes with it. Lord Aldabrecht, a fellow noble and war hero, requested Giselle’s hand in marriage – to which her parents happily agreed. But on their journey to her new home, Vanja takes matters into her own hands, tricks the princess, and steals her enchanted pearl necklace that makes Vanja physically appear as Giselle. 

Now impersonating the princess and her maid (her persona when not wearing the magic pearls), Vanja plays the part of betrothed princess rather well. So well, in fact, that no one suspects her to be the Penny Phantom who robs nobles and leaves behind a single red penny.

Her cache is almost complete until she steals the wrong item from the wrong family. Vanja/Giselle is caught by a goddess, who then curses her to turn into rubies and pearls until she returns what she stole. She has two weeks to do so – or else she dies. The goddess’s daughter, a half-human shapeshifter named Ragne, is in charge of keeping an eye on Vanja until she breaks the curse. No pressure.

So now Vanja must break the curse or die trying. In the meantime, she has to find a way to explain the gems that pop up on her skin (and that of her maid’s, by the way). Not only that, but somehow throw a Junior Prefect (AKA Detective) Emeric off her trail as he works to catch the Penny Phantom and bring them to justice. On top of all this, she has to maintain her ruse/double-identity, avoid upcoming nuptials to a possessive and power-hungry fiance, and escape the servitude of her godmothers. 

Margaret Owen, author of The Merciful Crow Duology, once again displays her creativity and talent to create likable yet damaged characters in Little Thieves. Vanja is a smartass and looks out for herself, yet as an abandoned child is quite justified in her actions. Ragne is a hoot and has a childlike innocence about her that readers can’t help but love. And as much of a scrawny nervous wreck Emeric seems to be, there’s more to him than meets the eye. 

Owen paces the story well and includes enough suspense and mystery to keep the reader engaged and curious as to what is up certain sleeves. Even so, the magic system didn’t seem well-established or explained. Additionally, some scenes toward the end would have been appropriate for a movie, but didn’t quite work in literature form. Nevertheless, Little Thieves is a mostly light-hearted and fun read – and those familiar with “The Goose Girl” will undoubtedly enjoy this retelling. 

Margaret Owen returns for another Cantina Conversation to discuss her new book. We talk about how the pandemic treated her, the challenges of retelling a classic tale, and what advice she would give to her main characters. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode of The Nerd Cantina Show and pre-order Little Thieves, available October 19.