Heart of a Samurai

Title: Heart of a Samurai

Author: Margi Preus

ISBN: 9780810989818

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary

The story begins in a small fisherman village in Japan with a boy named Manjiro. One day, a disaster had brought Manjiro to a no-man island. After days, an American whaling ship rescued Manjiro. In 1841, Japan was an isolated country. No foreigners were allowed in the country. Manjiro cannot go home because the ship was not allowed to sail into the Japan harbor. Manjiro spent years in the ship, and the Captain asked him to come to America with him as a son. Manjiro accepted. His journal started when he become the only foreigner in the town. He had struggled through school and dreamed one day he will be sailing back to Japan.

Review

The story is inspired by a true adventure, and I think it can inspire tweens that a nobody, like Manjiro, can do something big. The whale killing is flash topic to me, which I enjoy reading details about it. Tweens might be hard to be related to the story since it happens in the 19th century. I got mix feeling the details in the book. In some plots, I think there are too many details, and some plots have too little details. Overall, the story is interesting and fast pacing. A recommendable title.