The Peninsular War comes alive through the eyes of a child in this stirring Victorian tale of loss and belonging. An eight-year-old boy survives a brutal French attack on his family's Portuguese villa, left for dead amid the wreckage with no memory of who he is. Rescued by a corporal of the 200th Fusiliers, he becomes "Dick" - a mascot adopted by the regiment, raised in the chaos of military camp life, and forged into something remarkable by the crucible of war. As Dick proves his courage on the battlefield and saves his Colonel's life, readers witness the extraordinary resilience of childhood, the bonds that form when blood means nothing, and the terrible beauty of a war seen through innocent eyes. When the truth of his identity finally surfaces, the reunion that follows asks what family truly means - the people who raise you, or the blood that calls you home. Fenn writes with vivid immediacy, capturing the textures of Napoleonic warfare while never losing sight of the human heart at its center. A rousing adventure that endures because it understands that war's deepest wounds and greatest comforts are both felt by children.
