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Samurai Awakening: (Samurai Awakening Book 1)
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About Samurai
Product Description **Winner of the 2013 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award** David Matthews is having a rough time. Being a teenager is bad enough, but when he picks up and moves to Japan for a year, with barely any knowledge of the language or social behaviors of Japanese teenagers, things go from bad to worse. Until one day, David attends a temple ceremony and finds himself possessed by a Japanese god. Suddenly, he can understand and speak Japanese. He has unbelievable new powers, including the ability to shift into a tiger, and a powerful sword he can materialize at will from its sheath—his body. But nothing comes for free, and these changes bring David face-to-face with the most terrifying creatures of Japanese legend—vengeful okami, demonic oni and terrifying ghostly yurei. Trained by his host family, famous sword-makers and the keepers of an ancient secret entrusted to their family by the first Emperor of Japan, David must fight desperately to save his host sister from a hoard of Japanese monsters. Evil has returned to Japan, and David must overcome his own insecurities if he is to save her and become a True Samurai—the protector of Japan. From School Library Journal Gr 6-9-A 13-year-old American exchange student is unwittingly tied to a mystical samurai legacy in this contemporary fantasy that draws on Japanese myth and history. Staying with a host family of sword makers near the city of Himeji, David thinks his toughest challenges will be overcoming the language barrier and holding his own in school sports. He never expected to be possessed by a god and made to bear the responsibility of protecting the country from evil. Due to the author's firsthand experience as an American living in Japan, David's feelings of isolation as he attempts to adjust to new surroundings ring true, as do the details of school life. Dialogue printed in Japanese characters adds a pleasing note of authenticity, and the novel's rural setting will appeal to readers who seek to know Japan beyond Tokyo. The premise is intriguing, filled with sword fighting and legends, but the meandering plot may test readers' patience. The large cast of characters is underdeveloped, and the writing is riddled with copyediting errors. This book is likely to attract Japanophiles or martial-arts enthusiasts, but it is not polished enough to capture a general audience.-Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From Booklist David Matthews is just a normal high-school kid from Arizona, struggling to adjust to life as an exchange student in Japan. But after he attends a temple ceremony with his host family, he becomes possessed by a Japanese god. Suddenly, he is fluent in Japanese, and he has his hands full managing his new skills, which include the ability to morph into a tiger. His host family members, who happen to be keepers of an old samurai secret, help train and guide David as he steps into a new role as a Japanese samurai. David is an engaging character whom readers will easily identify with as he struggles to overcome his own fears and doubts to find his inner strength. Although the book culminates in David saving a damsel in distress, Martin creates a strong female counterpart to David in the character of a female warrior. An imaginative take on the triumph of the underdog. Grades 7-10. --Eve Gaus Review "David is an engaging character whom readers will easily identify with as he struggles to overcome his own fears and doubts to find his inner strength. Although the book culminates in David saving a damsel in distress, Martin creates a strong female counterpart to David in the character of a female warrior. An imaginative take on the triumph of the underdog."— Booklist "When a typical American boy spends a year in Japan on an exchange program, he's expected to have his mind opened to new experiences. In Samurai Awakening, young David
