With Clive in India

Reach for this book when your teenager is looking for a classic mentor text on grit, resourcefulness, and the transition from adolescence to leadership. It serves as a window into 18th-century global history through the eyes of Charlie Marryat, a young man who travels to India to seek his fortune and eventually finds himself embroiled in the military campaigns of Robert Clive. The story emphasizes perseverance, the importance of keeping one's head in a crisis, and the development of self-confidence through hard-earned experience. Parents should be aware that this is a product of its time, 1884, and reflects the Victorian British colonial perspective. It offers a prime opportunity to discuss historical attitudes, the complexities of the British Empire, and how our understanding of global justice has evolved. It is best suited for older readers who enjoy dense, vocabulary-rich historical fiction and are ready to engage with the moral nuances of the era.