podcast highlights by Kristi Wright
This season, Erin Nuttall and Anne-Marie Strohman are diving deep into Kayvion Lewis’s YA novel Thieves’ Gambit, the thrilling story of Rosslyn Quest, who comes from a family of international super thieves. When her mom gets kidnapped and held for a billion-dollar ransom, Ross accepts an invitation to join the Thieves’ Gambit competition, a series of puzzles, tests, and heists, where best teen thieves in the world compete for a wish.
First, a definition: the theme of a story is the central idea, message, or underlying belief that the author wants to convey to the reader. It is the unifying element that ties together all the other parts of the stories. Themes are often broad and open-ended and can be universal in nature.
In Thieves’ Gambit, we discover the theme in the very first line:
A Quest can’t trust anyone in this world–except for a Quest.
(Lewis, 1)
While many people discover the themes of their novel after much revision, you can also plan the theme from the start. Think about the main character and what obstacles she’ll face, how she’ll grow, and see if you can find a theme that will align with her journey.
Since Ross is a thief, and we have the cultural knowledge that there is “no honor among thieves,” Kayvion Lewis makes a smart move in exploring the theme of TRUST in this novel.
Having a theme that diametrically opposes a major aspect of the main character’s life adds tension and dimension to the novel.
Exploring Theme from Many Angles via a Wide Swath of Characters
Since the backdrop for the story is the infamous Thieves’ Gambit competition, the people she must put her trust in are other thieves, who by anyone’s standards are the least likely to be trustworthy with stakes that are often life or death.
We find out at the start of her story that Ross is isolated, with only her mom and her auntie for friends, but despite her conviction that she can’t trust anyone besides a Quest, she still longs for a normal life, one where peer friendship is a possibility.
The Thieves’ Gambit is also a whole passel of other kids her age and might be Ross’s one chance to make friends. But there is a tension between what she wants–a friend–and what she believes–that she can’t trust anyone.
The rest of the novel explores who she can trust from many angles, not only by forcing Ross to trust people who aren’t Quests, but also by challenging whether her guiding principle that Quests are trustworthy is even true, especially in her interactions with her childhood frenemy Noelia and love-interest Devroe.
In Episode 2 of the KidLit Craft Podcast: Thieves’ Gambit, Erin and Anne-Marie go much deeper into how Lewis explores the theme of Trust. I highly recommend you take a listen!
LISTEN TO EPISODE 2 ON APPLE PODCASTS, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN.
Theme: Bonus Content–Can a Quest be trusted?
The podcast explores who Ross can trust, and whether she can trust anyone, but there’s another aspect of this theme that’s worth exploring: whether Ross herself is worthy of trust.
Ross believes the reason she’s in the Thieves’ Gambit is because her mom couldn’t trust her. She’s haunted by the decision she made that caused her mom’s kidnapping and thus forced her into the competition as her only way to save her mom’s life.
Then, during her first challenge, Ross seeks advice from her aunt, who suggests that she make allies, but be prepared to double-cross them:
Auntie hummed. “Maybe…you should partner with someone.”
. . .
“Auntie.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Rule one, I can’t trust these people.”
“Obviously Don’t trust them, use them. Maybe you partner up with someone, double up your chances of getting what you need. Pick someone pliable. Then, if it comes down to it and you both only get one target, you make sure you leave with it and not them.”
My stomach twisted. That was a tactic I was too familiar with, just from the other side.
That wasn’t how I wanted to play this.
(Lewis, 75)
Here, Ross’s aunt assumes that being untrustworthy is the only play, but Ross herself seems to want to be trustworthy.
As the first test gets underway, Ross’s character is put to the test: she must choose between saving a participant’s life (Yeriel) and possibly failing out of the competition, or leaving Yeriel to die and staying in the game so she can save her mom.
A selfish voice echoed in my head. A voice that sounded a lot like Mom’s. I could make it. If I left her behind.
(Lewis, 101)
Ross makes the choice to save Yeriel and only remains in the competition because the girl helps her in return. Throughout the novel, when push comes to shove, Ross makes trustworthy decisions, but her struggle to find the most ethical choices when involved in heists and other thievery, adds tension to her personal journey.
Watch for Episode 3
In Episode 3, Erin and Anne-Marie will explore the “World as it Is,” the set-up of the story, which includes setting, main characters, and the main character’s desire.
REMINDER: There is so much going on in this book that it’s impossible to stay away from spoilers. So, be warned!
Find out more about the KidLit Craft podcast HERE. Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the KidLit Craft Podcast at Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
Kristi Wright (co-editor) writes picture books and middle grade novels. Her goal as a writer is to give children a sense of wonder, a hopefulness about humanity, and a belief in their future. She is represented by Kurestin Armada at Root Literary. She is an active volunteer for SCBWI and a 12 X 12 member. Find her at www.kristiwrightauthor.com and on Twitter @KristiWrite.
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