The Orphan and the Thief by M. L. LeGette

His father is a pirate and he's waiting for him to return.  In the meantime, he lives with a gang of thieves and is trying his best to emulate them.  Unfortunately, he's a rotten thief.  He's so bad, he gets thrown out of the gang!

The author and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

Toad decides he'll rob the richest man in town and prove what a great thief he is; that should get him back in good graces with the gang.  Of course, he didn't plan on getting caught.  Bartering for his life is all he can think to do and Mr. Owl hands him a list and tells him if he can bring him all the spell ingredients, he'll let him live.  Toad goes down to the local apothecary thinking he'll be able to get all the goods there.  When he makes a bunch of noise, he's braced by Melena.  She's an orphan and works there.  When he finds out he can't get any of the ingredients there, he asks for her help.  She hates where she works and the people she works for, so she agrees.

This is where the story gets really exciting!  Toad can't help thieving everywhere he goes.  It drives Melena nuts.  Melena is looking for her brother, Milo.  Her parents died in a fire but she's sure Milo is alive.  Toad wants to find his pirate father.  Nobody is going to do anything without finding the ingredients for the spell and each ingredient is almost impossible to find or acquire.  

There's a talking beer stein, an orange spider, spit dragons, snatchers and monsters in the story.  This story is great fun.  It's full of grand adventure, death defying experiences and the only thing that saves them is dumb luck and a few brains.  It's written for young adults, but I've ordered me a copy to go in my personal library.  I enjoyed this one and and will read it again. If you have a child likes a good adventure with some magic and endearing characters, this is the book for them.

Happy reading.