The Talent Thief

Thayer, Mike. The Talent Thief. 2023. 288p. ISBN 9781250771025.

Tiffany and her father are neighbors of the local planetarium, and her father has been working there for years hoping to increase its popularity. They are not well off, but they have each other. The problem is that Tiffany is cursed, and anything that can go wrong will. At school, Tiffany has a habit of putting her foot in her mouth (not literally) by ruining any special moment, such as loudly farting on the cutest boy in her class on accident. As a result, Tiffany has learned to thrive in the shadows, hiding from the popular people so that they can't bully her and pick on her. And as a stage hand, being in the shadows suits Tiffany, even though she sometimes craves the limelight.

But the planetarium is in danger of closing. A lack of funding can only be solved through a large fundraiser, but if that fails, Tiffany and her father will find themselves without a home. A wealthy philanthropist is willing to donate a large sum, but only if the fundraising show's ticket sales are satisfactory. How can Tiffany help?

One night, two meteors collide over her backyard, and Tiffany finds herself with the amazing ability to steal someone's talent. Whether it be shuffling cards, dancing, or singing, Tiffany only has to touch someone's prized possession to acquire their talent for the rest of the day. She discovers this ability when she accidentally steal mean girl Candace's voice, the one she was planning to use for the musical audition, and uses it for her own. 

Soon she attracts the attention of Brady, one of the most popular boy in school, who appears to have an axe to grind. Together, they begin planning to "borrow" talents for the fundraising competition, so that they can defeat Candace, avenge Brady's humiliation, and, for once let Tiffany stand in the spotlight. But Tiffany will have to decide for herself if it's ever okay to steal someone else's talent to reach her goals.

A light and fast-moving middle school novel, The Talent Thief explores what happens when you suddenly find yourself able to keep up with the best, and the impact it can have on your life. The characters are realistic, even as the mean girl is only portrayed in one dimension. Readers who would enjoy knowing what it's like to possess someone else's talent will enjoy this story!