The Story Thieves Summary
Riley, James

The Story Thieves Overview

The Story Thieves, by James Riley, is about Owen, a boy who is bored with his life, and Bethany, a half-fictional girl who has the power to go inside books and become part of the stories. Owen convinces a cautious Bethany to take him into the most recent Kiel Gnomenfoot book. Once there, Owen dramatically changes the story. Soon, he is living out Kiel's adventures while Kiel and Bethany are in the real world, fighting imaginary creatures that have been set free from other books. By the time everything is back to normal, Bethany is more excited about the adventures she could experience inside other books. Owen is a little more careful now that he understands what can happen inside a book. He is willing to join Bethany and Kiel for a permanent life in the real world. The main themes are magic versus science, the question of free will, and coming of age.