Price: $10.99 - $6.99
(as of Jan 20, 2025 04:12:14 UTC – Details)
A New York Times bestseller, Heart of a Samurai is “a terrific biographical novel” (Wall Street Journal), filled with international adventure, a look at cultural differences, and both American and Japanese history.
A Newbery Medal Winner * An NPR Backseat Book Club pick
This award-winning adventure novel will thrill and enrich every young reader who picks it up.
In 1841, a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way.
Manjiro, a 14-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Eventually the captain adopts Manjiro and takes him to his home in New England. The boy lives there for some time and then heads to San Francisco to pan for gold. After many years, he makes it back to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider.
With his hard-won knowledge of the West, Manjiro is in a unique position to persuade the emperor to ease open the boundaries around Japan; he may even achieve his unlikely dream of becoming a samurai.
“Illustrated with Manjiro’s own pencil drawings in addition to other archival material and original art from Tamaki, this is a captivating fictionalized (although notably faithful) retelling of the boy’s adventures. Capturing his wonder, remarkable willingness to learn, the prejudice he encountered and the way he eventually influenced officials in Japan to open the country, this highly entertaining page-turner.” —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Customers say
Customers find the book easy to read and a great choice for middle grade readers. They appreciate the storytelling that opens their eyes to a history not well-known. The story is well-captured with likable characters and a good storyline. Readers love the illustrations, which were drawn by Manjiro. The book covers many themes and is an adventure novel.
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