Young Samurai, The Way of the Warrior

Hola. By Chris Bradford, Young Samurai, The Way of the Warrior. Jack Fletcher is a young English boy who, with his father, has been sailing to the unknown land of Japan. After a shipwreck and a pirate-ninja attack, all Jack has left is his father's rutter—a priceless book of extremely accurate maps and charts. When Jack is taken in by Masamoto-sama, one of the most revered samurai in Japan, he learns that Dragon Eye, one of the pirates, is after the rutter. However, Jack's worries do not stop there. While at his samurai school, he is harassed for being an outsider. But in the end, will Jack see that trading Jack Fletcher for Jack-kun may not be so bad after all? I really enjoyed this book. Jack was an interesting character, made very realistic by his occasional frustration but lovable by his courage and loyalty. My main problem was that the chapters were so short! It could have had half as many chapter breaks and been even better. I also liked the other characters. Yamato is deep, and Yori is quietly forceful. Personal favorite: Akiko! Really great read, four stars!