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By Penny Boxall (author)
"Melding history and mystery, this exhilarating escapade sees a young adventuress prove her Pa’s innocence on a peril-packed trip across Europe."
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November 2025 Debut of the Month
First in a thrilling new series from a debut talent, the backstory of Penny Boxall’s Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread begins in 1764 “with the discovery of a child in a museum – a place she had no business to be. The child in question – a golden-guinea-eyed thing… had no name that anyone could guess, nor parents to be found.” And so, she’s taken in by the Keeper of the museum, a man who “had sense enough to see that this child was special”.
Skip forward ten years and the girl, twelve-year-old Lettice Breech (Letty) is about to embark on a wondrous Grand Tour of Europe with her Pa, Sir Joshua Breech, the now-retired Keeper who’d taken the same tour some fifty years earlier, following a mapped route stitched in golden thread from London through France and into Italy, where the “names of the cities made Letty’s breath catch the most…(Venice, City of Light; Florence, City of Art; Rome, the Eternal City) towards ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum”.
In a shocking turn of events, the art-and-relic-loving duo’s journey is curtailed when Sir Joshua is accused of creating a forgery of an esteemed statue. When he’s thrown in gaol, it falls to Letty to prove Pa’s innocence through gathering proof from across the continent.
Wonderfully whimsical, with amusing explanatory footnotes sprinkled through the story, Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread exudes all the atmosphere and literary stylings of a classic adventure story, revealing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Lettice Breech is, indeed, a very special child.
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…
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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’ - mybookcorner
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.
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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.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Adventure Stories, Crime & Mystery, Historical Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread was written by Penny Boxall and published by Puffin an imprint of Penguin Random House Children's UK
Letty and the Mystery of the Golden Thread has 308 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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