The Samurai's Tale

by Erik C. Haugaard

Overview

Taro will become a samurai and redeem the family legacy that has been stolen from him. A classic tale of adventure.

When the powerful Lord Takeda’s soldiers sweep across the countryside, killing and plundering, they spare the boy Taro’s life and take him along with them.

Taro becomes a servant in the household of the noble Lord Akiyama, where he meets Togan, a cook, who teaches Taro and makes his new life bearable.

But when Togan is murdered, Taro’s life takes a new direction: He will become a samurai, and redeem the family legacy that has been stolen from him.

"The Samurai's Tale, poetic yet unflinching, is excellent." —Boston Herald

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618615124
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/12/2005
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.56(d)
Lexile:	960L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Erik Haugaard was born in Denmark and has traveled extensively in the United States, Italy, Spain, and Japan. Called "a writer gifted in the art of the storyteller" by the BOSTON GLOBE, he is internationally known for his accomplishments as a playwright, poet, and translator. He has won critical acclaim for his books for young readers, including A BOY'S WILL, THE UNTOLD TALE, and CROMWELL'S BOY.

Read an Excerpt

"I shall begin my tale on that day when I lost not only my father, but my mother and my two older brothers as well . . . In the morning of that day my name had been Murakami; I was a bushi, a knight’s son whom every woman in the village would fondle and spoil. Before the sun set I had been given the name Taro, a servant’s name, and I was of no more importance than that name implied."

Table of Contents

	List of characters	ix
	Acknowledgments	xi
	Preface	xiii
1.	In Blood We Are All Born	1
2.	The Journey to Kofuchu	9
3.	The "Dog" Taro	17
4.	The Death of Togan	23
5.	The Stable-boy Taro	32
6.	A Night at Toko-ji Temple	40
7.	Zazen	48
8.	On the Road	57
9.	Iida Castle	64
10.	Yoshitoki	70
11.	In the House of a Ghost	77
12.	A Name, A Name!	84
13.	Rumors of War	90
14.	"Master of Rice"	95
15.	The Thief	102
16.	The Ronin Bandit	109
17.	I Gain a Helmet	118
18.	The Strategy of War	124
19.	The Ninja	131
20.	A Trap Is Laid	138
21.	A Sortie of Death	145
22.	Iwamura Is Ours	154
23.	In Search of Supplies	161
24.	Aki-hime	169
25.	Lord Takeda Shingen	175
26.	A Poem for Aki-hime	182
27.	Lord Zakoji's Proposal	189
28.	The Hunting Party	194
29.	Lord Zakoji Becomes a Priest	202
30.	The Siege of Iwamura Castle	207
31.	I Leave Iwamura Castle	212
32.	Takeda Katsuyori	217
33.	The Ninja Again	223
34.	The End of the Tale	230

Editorial Reviews

"A riveting tale for teens who like adventure infused with an ancient historical flavor." — Booklist

“To enter The Samurai's Tale is to immerse oneself completely in sixteenth-century Japan, when powerful warlords struggled for supremacy. Seldom does a historical novel evoke the mood, color, and soul of an era as skillfully as this one does. The Samurai's Tale, poetic yet unflinching, is excellent.” — Boston Herald

From the Publisher