The Bamboo Sword - Softcover

Margi Preus is the author of the acclaimed novels West of the Moon, Shadow on the Mountain, and Newbery Honor winner Heart of a Samurai. She also writes and cowrites plays, sketches, and adaptations for theater. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.

Gr 5–8—In 1853, Commodore William Perry led a fleet of imposing black ships into Edo Bay and began negotiations that would end Japan's 200-year policy of isolationism. This companion novel to Preus's Newbery Honor-winning Heart of a Samurai (Abrams, 2010) explores the political upheaval during this time through the eyes of two boys, one Japanese and one American. Inquisitive boys with big dreams, Yoshi is a lowly servant to a samurai and Jack is a cabin boy on one of Perry's black ships. Through dual narration and clear, unhindered prose, the boys' perspectives mirror both sides of the tense relations between the two cultures. In a series of coincidences, Yoshi becomes the assistant to Manjiro Nakahama, the protagonist of the previous volume. Readers will be pleased to reacquaint themselves with Manjiro as he takes Yoshi under his wing and plays an instrumental role in negotiations between Japan and America. Though some may find the plot a bit heavy on politics and diplomacy, the story shines when Jack is separated from his party and Yoshi is obliged to shelter him, and the two boys forge an unlikely friendship that transcends cultural and language barriers. A comprehensive author's note fills in the historical context that shapes the narrative and Japanese woodblock print illustrations from the era add atmosphere to the text. VERDICT Bringing life to historical events not often addressed in children's literature, this rich, multilayered novel will be a treat for fans of Heart of a Samurai.—Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CA