A Little Wizard

England, 1640s. The Civil War has torn the country apart, and for a fatherless boy sitting alone at the gate of his stolen home, the world has become a cruel and indifferent place. When Parliament's agent arrives to claim the estate, twelve-year-old Jack Patten meets him with a defiant tongue and a burning heart refusing to submit. Abandoned to the indifferent cruelty of new guardians, the Gridleys, Jack must navigate a world that offers him no warmth, no protection, only the cold machinery of war and the petty tyranny of adults who see children as obstacles. Yet something in Jack refuses to break. Through neglect and hardship, his wit sharpens, his resolve hardens, and the makings of a little wizard emerge: a boy who will use his brains and bare nerve to survive a nation at war with itself. Weyman, master of romantic historical adventure, crafts a story that captures the terrible beauty of childhood resilience, where survival itself becomes a form of magic.