The Thief of Always
After a mysterious stranger promises to end his boredom with a trip to the magical Holiday House, ten-year-old Harvey learns that his fun has a high price.
What you might want to know about The Thief of Always
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Bored, in February, ten-year-old Harvey Swick is approached at his bedroom window by a flickering man named Rictus and offered a stay at the Holiday House. The big house holds four full seasons in every day. Harvey is happy until he tries to leave and learns what the house has been taking from him.
The Thief of Always is Clive Barker's only children's book. It is dark middle-grade fantasy, recommended for readers 10 and up. The premise of a magical house that grants every wish has its sinister payoff.
Yes, in a child-appropriate way. Clive Barker is best known for adult horror (Hellraiser, Books of Blood), but The Thief of Always (1992) is a darker version of children's fantasy in the tradition of Roald Dahl.
The Thief of Always was written by Clive Barker, published in 1992 by Grijalbo.
The Thief of Always is 236 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Thief of Always takes most readers 4 to 5 hours to finish.
The Thief of Always is a standalone novel by Clive Barker, not part of a series.
The Thief of Always is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
