REVIEW: Threads by Sophia Bennett

Nonie's passion is fashion.  Edie plans to save the world.  Jenny has a part in a Hollywood movie.  But when the three best friends meet a young refugee girl called Crow, wearing a pair of pink fairy wings and sketching a dress, they get the chance to do something truly wonderful - and make all their dreams come true.

  When I first saw this book in my school library about a year ago, I thought it would be another one of those whimsical fairytales where the girls live perfect lives and achieve all their dreams.  But how wrong was I!  So if you ever got that same first impression as me, FORGET it and read the book!  I promise you won't regret it.  The book is much more than just a 'fairytale'.  It's about making a difference to other peoples' lives and that giving is so much better than receiving. 

  I have never admired fictional teenagers in a novel as much as Nonie and her best friends Edie and Jenny.  They happily take in Crow, a young refugee girl, once they discover her passion for designing and making clothes and encourage her to follow her heart's desires.  I love all the charitable things Edie does and wish I had a friend like her.  She's the sort of girl who always has something one, from volunteering with special needs children to setting up a website to raise awareness of child soldiers in Uganda.  It is amazing that while she is enhancing her CV, she's helping so many others.  Jenny is almost the opposite of Edie: she's starring in a movie and is working alongside Joe Yule (definitely one of my fictional crushes!).  Her character adds humour to the story and reveals what it's actually like to be working in a Hollywood film.  The narrator of Threads is Nonie.  I appreciated her wit and sarcasm that's intwined throughout the book. She's the one who isn't particularly good at anything and wants to be a designer.  But by the end of the book, she is like a mentor to Crow and she has done so many amazing things like organising a charitable fashion show.  I love how she is such a good friend and despite the fact that it is her ambition to be a fashion designer, she still tries her best to help Crow achieve her dream.  I want these girls to be my friends!

  I also love the references to big fashion names like Dior and Chanel because they make the story feel much more realistic, as if somewhere out there a tween is actually rubbing shoulders with famous designers.  The descriptions are also amazing...I can picture in my head every one of Crow's dresses.  They sound gorgeous and it makes you wish that Crow would design a dress just for you!

  I have been thoroughly impressed by Sophia Bennett, considering that Threads was her debut novel.  It's such a captivating, enchanting story full of fashion and dreams.  A well deserved 5 stars!

BTW, after I borrowed it from the library and read it, I went out and bought myself a copy!