The Secret Diary of Samuel Pepys, aged ten & three quarters

'Move over, young James Bond - a new hero for children's fiction has been born!' - Jen Celti, BookNews. Samuel Pepys is famous for his grown-up diaries. Here, for the first time, are his childhood memoirs - a thrilling tale packed with excitement & adventure set against the colourful backdrop of the English Civil War. It's 1642, and young Sam is struggling with the dull routine of life at school. But when he witnesses a fellow-schoolboy plotting a secret mission with Royalists, he soon finds himself swept up in a strange quest. What is the secret of King Alfred's Jewel? Who is the mysterious Lord Falkner & his haughty, troubled sister Eleanor? Can Sam & his friends decode an old monk's treasure-map before King Charles & his troops attack Gloucester?In this 'fun, fast-moving romp, ' (Rosemary Fiennes, Gambit), Julian Dutton has woven a thrilling comical tale of the seventeenth century, as the boy who would become the famous Samuel Pepys grows up in a country at war with itself. 'Kids of 8-12 will love this. Sam is feisty, likeable, and full of a get-up-and-go that is irresistible. This book has fun and gusto in spades, ' - Jacqueline Adderley, New Fiction Revie