Heart of a samurai [electronic resource]. Margi Preus.
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. "... 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 ..."— Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Electronic resources
Record details
- ISBN: 9781461824435
- Physical Description: 1 online resource (5 audio files) : digital
- Edition: Unabridged.
- Publisher: Prince Frederick : Recorded Books, 2012.
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- Unabridged.
- Participant or Performer Note:
- Narrator: James Yaegashi.
- Target Audience Note:
- Text Difficulty 3 - Text Difficulty 4760 Lexile.
- System Details Note:
- Requires the Libby app or a modern web browser.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Juvenile Fiction.
Juvenile Literature.
Other Formats and Editions
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Summary:
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. "... 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 ..."— Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
