Gracie's simple life on St Helena is changed dramatically when the defeated 'Emperor' Napoleon is brought as a prisoner to the island that is further from anywhere than anywhere else in the world. Charming historical story for 10 to 14 year olds.
"Bonaparte kills people."
"Bonaparte is coming as a prisoner, child. He can't hurt anyone now."
"He eats children," said Gracie.
As long as Gracie could remember, she had been told stories of Napoleon Bonaparte, who would stop at nothing to rule the world and plant the French flag on the Tower of London. Now, the most famous, the most dreaded man is coming to the very island where she lives. St Helena is like a small ship stuck fast in the ocean, far away from anywhere. When Napoleon Bonaparte arrives, in 1815, Gracie wants to run away, but she has nowhere to go.
Errol Broome tells the extraordinary story of an emperor who saw the courage of a hard-working young girl, and a girl who saw the other face of the man they called the Emperor Napoleon.
