Heart of a Samurai

Preus, M. (2010). Heart of a Samurai. New York: Amulet Books. 

This Newbery Honor Book, which is also a historical fiction book with an informative historical note following the epilogue, is spellbounding.  A story about a boy who leaves home one day in hopes of earning his keep and doesn’t return for fourteen years.  The last line of the book says it all: “Within him, Manjiro knew, beat a heart soured by sand, pounded by waves, burned by sun, and polished by rain and wind.  It would always be the simple heart of a fisherman, but perhaps it had also become the mighty heart of a samurai” (p.274).  The writing is beautiful, infused with illustrations that enhance the text.  Manjiro grows from a boy, knowing many kinds of people and learns from those he befriends that he can help the change in the world.  This is a story of how a boy, through adventure and ceaseless questioning, becomes a man. (Grades 5 and up).