The Lost Prince - Frances Hodgson Burnett - Bookniverse

The Lost Prince is a forerunner of the modern spy thriller, blending political intrigue with an exploration of what it means to be loyal to a cause greater than oneself. Five hundred years ago, the rightful prince of Samavia vanished — and his kingdom has been bleeding ever since. Twelve-year-old Marco has spent his whole life in exile, raised in secrecy by a father whose true purpose he is only beginning to understand. When Marco is tasked with carrying a coded message across Europe alongside The Rat, a street-smart London boy, the mission leads him ever closer to the mystery of the lost prince — and to a truth about his own identity.****************************The mastermind behind this story was Frances Hodgson Burnett, an author with a remarkable ability to capture the hearts of young readers. While she is most famous for The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, The Lost Prince shows a different side of her talent. The book was published in 1915, a time when the world was on the brink of the Great War, and Burnett was deeply moved by the struggles of small nations fighting for their independence. Having moved between England and America herself, she understood the feeling of being an outsider, a theme that resonates through Marco’s nomadic lifestyle.