A thrilling tale of mutiny and rebellion set in the exotic world of 1857 India.
To Jack O'Hara, recently arrived from Canada to live with his aunt in Cawnpore, India is an exotic place of wonder and mystery, but war and horror are bubbling just below the surface. When the violence explodes, Jack and a thousand soldiers, women and children must fight for their lives, trapped in an inadequate entrenchment under the brutal summer sun. As the survivors watch the bodies pile up around them, there is little they can do except pray that a relief column can reach them before starvation and massacre end the tragedy.
"This is an absolutely terrific book…Never lagging with a credible hero and an exotic setting which should engage both female and male readers…The pacing is flawless." Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction Jury Citation
"The tension and action of the battle and the intense danger of the escape from the massacre will keep readers turning these pages." Quill & Quire
Geoffrey Bilson Award, Honour Book;
Red Maple Award finalist;
Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice (SYRCA) Snow Willow Award;
CCBC Our Choice Book