The Reb and the Redcoats (Living History Library) (edition 1999)

During the American war of Independence, a young American soldier, still in his teens, is a prisoner of war held captive by a Redcoat Major in his home on the east coast of England. The boy manages to capture the hearts of everyone in the family, the servants, and the neighborhood, with the exception of the man at whose house he is being detained. Misunderstandings, war protocols, and physical and psychological war wounds keep the two men at wary arm's length, compounded by the boy's continuous attempts to escape, and the Englishman's duty to prevent it.

This book was a passion with me when I was about ten years old. I loved it, and recently re-reading it, rekindled my appreciation for a well-written, interesting tale of English and American history at the time of the Revolutionary War. Even now I found it hard to put down. ( )

The first historical fiction I ever remember reading--and still among the best. A true classic. ( )