Young Samurai: Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford

Bradford, Chris (2008). Young Samurai: Way of the Warrior. New York: Disney Hyperion Books.

Jack Fletcher is a 12 year old boy sailing around the world with his father on the Alexandria in 1611. When wakou attack the ship, Jack struggles to fight and survive and ends up stranded in a strange land - the Japans.

“Bushido is not just about courage and honor. Nor is its purpose fighting and warfare. Though they may be necessary stops on your journey, they are not your destination. The true essence of Bushido is rectitude, benevolence, and loyalty” (Bradford, pg. 326).

Jack Fletcher just wants to go home to his sister and England. But now he is stuck in “the Japans” and has been adopted by a mighty Samurai - Masamoto. Now he has to decide if he will return to England or embrace Bushido and become a Young Samurai.

I really liked this book and there are many other books in the Young Samurai series to read on after. It was a good action / adventure, with a little bit of romance for those who only want to read books that have a good love story in it. It is an interesting book about a culture that is so different from what we in America have grown up learning about. Many have compared Samurai to the Knights of Europe, but the differences become evident in this book. If you like a book about warriors, you will like this book!

Teen Talk

Ryan, age 14, said "I really like historical fiction because I like to learn about history in a not boring way." Ryan understood that historical fiction is not just "boring" history, but can be an entertaining story based in an historical time or place.

One of Ryan's favorite historical fiction books is A Boy at War about Pearl Harbor and WWII. It was refreshing to have a teen who did like historical fiction when so many misunderstood the genre.

Also, when asked if he has ever used a blog to find a book to read, Ryan said, "I wouldn't know where to look for a blog, so I usually ask my sister for what book to read for the different book reports I have to do for class." This is unfortunate, because blogs are a great way to get an idea of what to read, because you can start to identify with the author of blog and figure out if you would have a similar taste in books.

1609: Winter of the Dead by Elizabeth Massie

Massie, Elizabeth (2000). 1609: Winter of the Dead. New York: A Tom Doherty Associates Book.

Many gentlemen thought going to Jamestown would bring them wealth with all of the gold they found there. They weren’t expecting trouble from the natives, little food, and absolutely no gold to be found.

This was an interesting book. I loved Pocahontas growing up and the story of John Smith. This puts a different light on John Smith’s story. Smith is not the main character, but he is discussed at length from the eyes of the main character: a teenage boy, Nat, who has traveled to the new world in hopes of becoming a wealthy man. This story is not about the great relationship established by the English and the Indians, but about what the Englishmen had to endure and what they were willing to do in order to stay safe from the wrath of the Indians whose kindness could change in an instant because of misunderstood cultures. This is a good simple read that tells the harsh story of what life was like for the colonists who traveled to and settled in Jamestown.

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

Reeve, Philip (2007). Here Lies Arthur. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Gwyna's home is burned by Arthur and his war-band. Now she must disguise herself and join the very war-band she hates in order to save her life.

Carnegie Medal 2008
Nestlé Children’s Book Prize Bronze Award 2007
Shortlisted for the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2007
Longlisted for the Manchester Book Award 2008

“HIC IACET ARTHURUS,
REX QUONDAM REXQUE FUTURUS
Here lies Arthur –
King that was, King that will be again.”

King Arthur. Legendary hero. Man of myth. But what if he was not everything he seemed to be. What if the great legend of King Arthur was a series of stories told by one of Arthur’s men to make him look good and attract followers. Gwyna saw the real Arthur. He burned her home and ordered her master and his household to be driven out for not paying tribute. Gwyna was just a lowly servant, and did not think anyone would notice if she ran off. She sneaks away, but is encountered by one of Arthur’s knights - Medrawt. Her only escape is the dark, cold river. How is she going to survive on her own? Will Myrddin help her? or use her and then leave her alone again?

I really liked this book although it was not what I expected. The King Arthur of legend and myth is a great warrior, but also a great leader. In this book that is not the Arthur that we see. This is told through the eyes of a girl who lost everything because of Arthur, and gives a somewhat darker portrayal of the man that many people revere.

Teen Talk

When asked about what he likes to read, Jeffrey said he did not care to read unless it was a good book. Many teens would answer the same way, which adults may not understand. When asked what a good book, this 16 year old said he liked action / adventure books as well as books about Greek Mythology.

When asked if he liked to read Historical Fiction, he said he did not history books because they were boring. What he did not realize was that those books about Greek Mythology can be considered Historical Fiction and many historical fiction books are also action adventure.

A book in the genre of Historical Fiction that I would recommend to Jeffrey to try out would be Here Lies Arthur, because it has a little bit of Greek mythology, a lot of British mythology, and is an action adventure.

The King's Rose by Alisa M. Libby

Libby, Alisa M. (2009). The King’s Rose. New York: Dutton Books (Penguin Group Inc.)

Catherine Howard is 15 years old, and is to marry King Henry VIII of England. Can she burn her past and her love and live the life her family expects her to live?

“I smile and nod at the girl, and she steps aside. This is the smile I imagine Katherine of Aragon pasted upon her face when met with the king’s lingering gaze over Mistress Anne Boleyn; or Anne of Cleves’s smile when her new husband first took a fancy to me. I take a sip of my wine, my throat suddenly dry” (Libby, pg. 129).

All I wanted growing up was to fall in love, but my family had other plans for me. Now I don’t know if I will ever see my true love again, and how can I, a young girl, become Queen of England? I cannot disappoint my family as Anne did, or who knows what my fate will be. I must learn to live with the life that has been designed for me and learn to be The King’s Rose.

This was an interesting book about Henry VIII's fifth wife. She is seldom heard of because she did not have any children, yet she was very important to the Howard family who had attempted to put a young girl on the throne before and failed (with Anne Boleyn). Now Henry VIII is an old man with poor health. This book tells of Catherine's struggles to do what her family asks of her and give up the life she wanted to live.

Historical Fiction

What is historical fiction? Generally it is a book that takes place in a historical setting and may involve some historical figures, but also can have fictional characters that were invented by the author to help fill in gaps missing in history. Sometimes the fictional character is someone who explains what they see during an important event in history.

Click on the link below for a pdf document that gives an overview of Historical Fiction.

Historical Fiction

This website

Historical Novels

lists many different historical fiction books that can be broken down by time period and location of the book. There is also a section for YA's as well that is similarly broken down. I have not had a whole lot of time to explore it, but look forward to picking a few books off the lists to add to my ever lengthening To Read list.

For my class (the purpose of this blog is a class assignment), we had to pick a specific genre that we wanted to focus on. I chose Historical Fiction, because I love history, and I know it is a genre that not many Young Adults are highly interested in reading. I am hoping that with the booktalks on this blog, YAs may see that Historical Fiction books can be action, adventure, mystery, horror, etc. and are not just names as dates (what most people associate with History).