Bibliography
Bradford, C. (2008). Young samurai: The way of the warrior. New York: Disney Hyperion Books.
359 pages
Plot
Jack Fletcher is a twelve year old boy on the Alexandria heading for Japan in search of gold and spices. However when a severe storm blows the ship of course and throws the ship onto the reefs, the Alexandria is forced to make repairs in an unknown bay. While in the bay, a ninja and his gang attacks the ship killing all of the crew except for Jack who is assumed dead. Dragon Eye, the ninja, is attempting to steal Jack’s father’s rutter, a journal of the longitude and latitude measurements. When Jack is recovered from the ocean, he is saved and adopted by Masamoto-sama, the head of a samurai clan. There Jack must learn the Japanese culture as well as the samurai lifestyle. Can he survive in this new world?
Review
Chris Bradford’s Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior does an excellent job introducing Japanese culture and history to a new audience. While the storyline and plot is nothing new, Bradford writing is not condescending towards the reader. Instead, his use of an early 1600s Japan allows Bradford to introduce a society that most readers will not have much of a background in. Additionally, use of traditional terms and a glossary in the back promotes cultural diversity and awareness. Jack is an appealing character who is believable in his mistakes and his actions. He is a grieving boy, who does much to overcome his obstacles. Ultimately, the book is nothing exceptional, but is a fun and exciting read which should appeal to tween boys.
Genre
Adventure
Reading Level/Interest Level
This book should appeal to boys in grades 4 – 7.
Similar Content
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Author Webpage/Blog
http://www.chrisbradford.co.uk/Chris_Bradford/Home.html
Personal thoughts
The Way of the Warrior is an easy read, but the author does an excellent job introducing a new culture to its audience.
Subjects/themes
Family
Honor
Martial Arts
Death
Orphan
Awards
No known awards.
Series information
This is the first book in the series. The second book is entitled Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword. So far on the author’s webpage, he is publishing at least six books in this series.
Main Character names/descriptions
Jack Fletcher: A young British ship navigator who is shipwrecked in Japan.
Masamoto-San: Japanese Samurai and held of a samurai clan. Adopts Jack Fletcher.
Yamato: Masamoto-San’s son, who is constantly trying to live up to his father’s expectations.
Akiko: One of Jack’s first friends in Japan. She is constantly trying to break stereotypes of what a girl samurai is capable of.
Annotation
A young boy in the 1700s is adopted by a Japanese samurai after the ship he is sailing on is attacked and he is left for dead. Jack, the boy, must learn the customs of Japan in order to survive and learn the way of the samurai.
Bradford, C. (2008). Young samurai: The way of the warrior. New York: Disney Hyperion Books.
359 pages
Plot
Jack Fletcher is a twelve year old boy on the Alexandria heading for Japan in search of gold and spices. However when a severe storm blows the ship of course and throws the ship onto the reefs, the Alexandria is forced to make repairs in an unknown bay. While in the bay, a ninja and his gang attacks the ship killing all of the crew except for Jack who is assumed dead. Dragon Eye, the ninja, is attempting to steal Jack’s father’s rutter, a journal of the longitude and latitude measurements. When Jack is recovered from the ocean, he is saved and adopted by Masamoto-sama, the head of a samurai clan. There Jack must learn the Japanese culture as well as the samurai lifestyle. Can he survive in this new world?
Review
Chris Bradford’s Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior does an excellent job introducing Japanese culture and history to a new audience. While the storyline and plot is nothing new, Bradford writing is not condescending towards the reader. Instead, his use of an early 1600s Japan allows Bradford to introduce a society that most readers will not have much of a background in. Additionally, use of traditional terms and a glossary in the back promotes cultural diversity and awareness. Jack is an appealing character who is believable in his mistakes and his actions. He is a grieving boy, who does much to overcome his obstacles. Ultimately, the book is nothing exceptional, but is a fun and exciting read which should appeal to tween boys.
Genre
Adventure
Reading Level/Interest Level
This book should appeal to boys in grades 4 – 7.
Similar Content
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Author Webpage/Blog
http://www.chrisbradford.co.uk/Chris_Bradford/Home.html
Personal thoughts
The Way of the Warrior is an easy read, but the author does an excellent job introducing a new culture to its audience.
Subjects/themes
Family
Honor
Martial Arts
Death
Orphan
Awards
No known awards.
Series information
This is the first book in the series. The second book is entitled Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword. So far on the author’s webpage, he is publishing at least six books in this series.
Main Character names/descriptions
Jack Fletcher: A young British ship navigator who is shipwrecked in Japan.
Masamoto-San: Japanese Samurai and held of a samurai clan. Adopts Jack Fletcher.
Yamato: Masamoto-San’s son, who is constantly trying to live up to his father’s expectations.
Akiko: One of Jack’s first friends in Japan. She is constantly trying to break stereotypes of what a girl samurai is capable of.
Annotation
A young boy in the 1700s is adopted by a Japanese samurai after the ship he is sailing on is attacked and he is left for dead. Jack, the boy, must learn the customs of Japan in order to survive and learn the way of the samurai.
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