Heart of a Samurai
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Heart of a Samurai
by Margi Preus
Heart of a Samurai is a 2011 Newbery Honor Book.
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.
Interest Level: 5th grade 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Book Type: chapter book
Related Lists: Newbery Award historical fiction history
Reading Level: DRA Level 60 Guided Reading Level W
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