Letty-Website-article-banner-1800-x-1200-1024×683

Extracts

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

Letty and the Mystery of the Word Thieves

LONDON, OCTOBER 1775 
 
After her previous solo escapades around Europe, Lettice Breech is itching to go on another adventure – and thankfully, a trip to Scotland with her wonderful best friend Gio is just the thing! 
 
However, Pa is becoming increasingly sick. And Letty soon discovers that things are not at all well in her home at Lamb Place. Her trusty butler, Fortnum, and cook, Nell, have been keeping secrets. Letty needs to find money to save her Pa, protect Fortnum, Nell & Gio, and save her home. She needs treasure. 
 
So, when a mysterious socialite appears back in London, promising a tantalising mystery and more treasure than she can imagine, Letty finds herself embroiled in a thrilling new mystery right in her home city. Baffling poems, puzzling clues in dictionaries, and curious notes between a mysterious group known only as The Alphabetters lead Letty on a whirlwind adventure through the streets of 18th century London, and – nearly – a murder. . . 
 
In her continued search for truth, can Letty use her deductive skills to unravel the mystery of the word thieves? 
 
An exciting adventure for 9-12 year old readers from debut talent, Penny Boxall; perfect for fans of Netflix’s plucky ENOLA HOLMES, the humour of Hana Tooke's THE UNADOPTABLES, and the caper of Katherine Rundell's ROOFTOPPERS.

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.

Penny Boxall

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

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

Praise for Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread

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

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

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 t ...

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

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

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 t ...

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

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

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 t ...

Books by Penny Boxall

Articles featuring Penny Boxall

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

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter