It began as a sudden strange fancy.. . Polly Perks had to become a boy in a hurry. Cutting off her hair & wearing trousers was easy. Learning to fart & belch in public & walk like an ape took more time.. . And now shes enlisted in the army & searching for her lost brother. But theres a war on. Theres always a war on. & Polly & her fellow recruits are suddenly in the thick of it without any training & the enemy is hunting them. All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army & a vampire with a lust for coffee. Well.. . They have the Secret. & as they take the war to the heart of the enemy they have to use all the resources of.. .the Monstrous Regiment.