Mitch

"Mitch, a seventeen-year-old, was caught stealing food for his family. On the same day In court, he was given the opportunity to take the Queen's shilling or go out to Van Deimans land in Irons. Hence the start of a new life with the 58th of foot. From training in Ireland to bushwhackers in Rio, his life changes. Arriving in Australia with a shipload of convicts, the army sends his group onto the first New Zealand war of 1845 at Kororāreka. He will go on to fight in the Battles of Puketutu, Ōhaeawai and the siege of Ruapekapeka. With the clash of cultures, he falls for a young Māori woman who changes his life forever. Mitch is very loosely based on fact, with a lot of imagination"--Back cover.