Sophie Littlefield – Hanging By A Thread (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, Hardcover, $16.99, 9/11/2012)

The young adult section of the bookstore is jam-packed with paranormal romances.  Most of them deal with vampires, werewolves, faeries and the like.  In Hanging By A Thread, Sophie Littlefield takes paranormal YA to a new place.  There are no supernatural creatures and the romance is not the driving force behind the story; but make no mistake, this is still a paranormal tale.

Clare Knight has a fashion style all her own.  When she was a little girl, her grandmother taught her how to sew and as the years have passed her skills have improved.  She loves to deconstruct vintage fashions and re-purpose them into one-of-a-kind ensembles.  There is only one slight problem.  Clare has inherited a power from her grandmother which threatens her craft.   When Clare touches a piece of fabric that was worn during a negative incident, she sees that event recreated in her mind’s eye  This might not be too bad if it were only just little white lies or minor shoplifting, but Clare’s ability extends to adultery, criminal acts and even murder.  Clare quickly finds out that an ability that could be seen as a gift can just as easily turn to a curse.

When Clare and her mother return to her childhood home after her parents’ divorce, Clare begins to experience the true ramifications of her inherited ability.  The town of Winston, California is wounded.  For the past two years, the Fourth of July celebration has been tainted by the disappearance of one of the town’s children.  And Clare just might have purchased the jacket worn by last year’s victim at the local flea market.

Sophie Littlefield uses this set-up to tell a story about growing up.  How does a teenager become independent when surrounded by over-protective adults?  And how do we take the “gifts” we’ve been given and use them to create positive change?  This is the perfect story to teach young readers moral responsibility through an entertaining and exciting story.  Hanging By A Thread is another success for Sophie Littlefield in yet another genre – the young adult paranormal mystery.

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Disclaimer:  A bound hardback copy of this book was provided to BOLO Books by the author.  No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.