The children attend the only Samurai school that will accept their differences, run by the legendary samurai warrior Ki-Yaga, sensei of the Cockroach Ryu. In the first of the series, Samurai Warrior 1: The White Crane, the students of the Cockroach Ryu seek to prove themselves worthy of the title samurai warrior, by taking on the fierce Dragons Ryu at the Samurai Trainee Games.
My son tells me that the books are full of adventure, humour, and great descriptions of life in feudal Japan, and in the early weeks of grade six, he read the entire series over a few days. Now that he has started secondary school, I thought that he might find Sandy’s new book set in South America in the era of the Aztecs too young for him, but he consumed Jaguar Warrior in one day, even giving up TV so that he could read it. I think that this goes to show what a great story teller Sandy is. I found this review of her new book on a blog I subscribe to.
Sandy also has a great website for her Samurai kids books with lots facts about feudal Japan and interactive activities.
For older children, another series also featuring Japan and Samurai warriors is by Chris Bradford – Young Samurai, The Way of the Warrior. From the Young Samurai website:
August, 1611. Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan – his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates. Rescued by the legendary sword master Masamoto Takeshi, Jack's only hope is to become a samurai warrior. And so his training begins …
But life at the samurai school is a constant fight for survival. Even with his friend Akiko by his side, Jack is singled out by bullies and treated as an outcast. With courage in his heart and his sword held high, can Jack prove himself and face his deadliest rival yet?
