been translated into English yet. Cunningham sought out Funke and decided to release her novels in English through his newly-formed publishing house, The Chicken House.

Funke's first book to be translated into English was The Thief Lord, originally published in 2000 as Herr der Diebe. The translation, released by The Chicken House in 2002, won widespread acclaim and reached several bestseller lists. It was later adapted into a feature film of the same name