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Read an extract from Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread

Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread

Anybody who found themselves in the rigging of the good ship Lotus very early that morning would have seen an unusual sight: a shy, plump girl with a magpie fidgeting on her shoulder, holding in her hand a glinting coin… 
 
We begin in LONDON, 1774. 
 
Twelve-year-old Lettice Breech is excited to visit Europe with her Pa, who is eternally fascinated by ancient objects. Together they’re going to admire breathtaking French art, astounding Roman ruins, and spectacular Greek carvings. 
 
But their plans are dashed when part of a famous statue is exposed as a forgery, and Pa is thrown in gaol for the crime. 
 
Pa has taught Letty how to tell a real antiquity from a fake, but she needs the other pieces of the statue to prove it. So she escapes to France with only a notebook of clues in her pocket, and her pet magpie for company. 
 
Soon Letty is whisked from her quiet life on an adventure to bustling cities, underground mazes, and misty mountains. But can she unravel the mystery of the statue, and prove Pa’s innocence before it’s too late? 
 
LETTY AND THE GOLDEN THREAD is an exciting, continent-traversing adventure from debut talent, Penny Boxall; perfect for fans of Netflix’s plucky ENOLA HOLMES, Hana Tooke's THE UNADOPTABLES, and the caper of Katherine Rundell's ROOFTOPPERS.

It feels both fresh and somehow a classic already. A word-perfect, witty debut from an author to watch

Joanna Nadin, author of Worst Class in the World in Danger!

Whisks readers away on a journey brimming with wonder and whimsy, chock-full of thrilling adventure and rich historical detail

Hana Tooke, author of The Unadoptables and The Midnighters

LETTY AND THE MYSTERY OF THE GOLDEN THREAD has every making of a new classic: a plucky, lovable heroine you’ll cheer for; masterful writing that will tickle your brain; and a riveting mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning pages. This is a book to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Jeff Zentner, Carnegie Medal longlisted author of THE SERPENT KING

A fast-paced adventure that will have readers devouring every last word

A fun, fast-paced mystery...one of those lovely middle grade books where younger readers can enjoy the mystery, and older readers can also get more out of the history and mythology of it

Penny Boxall writes middle-grade fiction. 
 
 
She’s fascinated by all things 18th-century. In her museums jobs she’s helped look after William Wordsworth’s spectacles at Dove Cottage, Laurence Sterne’s porcelain cow at Shandy Hall, Mughal miniatures at the Ashmolean, and the Queen’s tapestries. 
 
 
She has an MA in Creative Writing from UEA and has published three poetry collections, including Ship of the Line (which won Scotland’s largest poetry prize). She’s held residencies at an Oxford college, a Scottish castle, a Swiss chateau, and a shipping container near Loch Long. 
 
 
She grew up in Aberdeenshire and now lives in York. She can often be found wuthering about on the moors.

Anybody who found themselves in the rigging of the good ship Lotus very early that morning would have seen an unusual sight: a shy, plump girl with a magpie fidgeting on her shoulder, holding in her hand a glinting coin… 
 
We begin in LONDON, 1774. 
 
Twelve-year-old Lettice Breech is excited to visit Europe with her Pa, who is eternally fascinated by ancient objects. Together they’re going to admire breathtaking French art, astounding Roman ruins, and spectacular Greek carvings. 
 
But their plans are dashed when part of a famous statue is exposed as a forgery, and Pa is thrown in gaol for the crime. 
 
Pa has taught Letty how to tell a real antiquity from a fake, but she needs the other pieces of the statue to prove it. So she escapes to France with only a notebook of clues in her pocket, and her pet magpie for company. 
 
Soon Letty is whisked from her quiet life on an adventure to bustling cities, underground mazes, and misty mountains. But can she unravel the mystery of the statue, and prove Pa’s innocence before it’s too late?

Penny Boxall

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