"A memorable chronicle of boys' inhumanity to boys, and a testament to enduring values in a time of social change. Baseball might just be the answer, but will his father ever accept a Western game that stands for eve. As the gulf between them grows wider, Toyo searches desperately for a way to prove there is a place for his family s samurai values in modern Japan. And worse, Toyo fears that his father may be next.It all has something to do with the way of the warrior but Toyo doesn t understand even after his father agrees to teach it to him. Out of this clash of cultures comes this story of 16-year-old Toyo, making his way in an elite boarding school, trying to get over the ritual suicide of his old samurai Uncle Koji, fearing his father may be next and eventually. Although Uncle Koji s defiant death was supposedly heroic, it has made Toyo question many things about his family s samurai background. Commodore Perry sailed into Yokohama harbor in 1853, and only a few years later, in 1870, baseball was introduced into Japan, along with many other Western influences. Samurai Shortstop Alan Gratz Penguin, 2008 - Juvenile Fiction - 280 pages 6 Reviews Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified Tokyo, 1890. Toyo isn t afraid to prove himself He s more troubled by his uncle s recent suicide. Still, he s taken aback when the seniors keep him from trying out for the baseball team especially after he sees their current shortstop. When that was done, he carefully arranged new tatami mats on the dirt floor. Before dawn, he had swept and cleaned his uncle’s favorite shrine, down to polishing the small mirror that hung on a post at its center. Winner Blurb: In 1890 Tokyo, 16-year-old Toyo uses traditional. High school can be brutal, even in turn-of-the-century Japan.From his first day at boarding school, Toyo Shimada sees how upperclassmen make a sport out of terrorizing the first-years. Toyo watched carefully as his uncle prepared to kill himself. He now lives with his family in Asheville, North Carolina, where he enjoys playing games, eating pizza, and, perhaps not too surprisingly, reading books.Tokyo, 1890. After a carefree but humid childhood, Alan attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a College Scholars degree with a specialization in creative writing, and, later, a Master’s degree in English education. His other books include Prisoner B-3087, which was a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Readers pick and winner of eight state awards Projekt 1065, a Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 and winner of five state awards Code of Honor, a YALSA Quick Pick for Young Readers and Ban This Book, which was featured by Whoopi Goldberg on The View.Īlan has traveled extensively to talk about his books, appearing at schools and book festivals in 39 states and a half-dozen countries, including Brazil, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, and Switzerland, and has been a Writer in Residence at Tokyo’s American School in Japan, the James Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio, and the Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia.Īlan was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, home of the 1982 World’s Fair. Toyo is caught up in the competitive world of boarding school, and must prove himself to make the team in a new. Refugee was also a Global Read Aloud Book for 2018.Īlan’s novel Grenade debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list, and his most recent book, Allies, debuted at number two on the list and received four starred reviews. Toyo is caught up in the competitive world of boarding school, and must prove himself to make the team in a new sport called besuboru. While obtaining a Western education at a prestigious Japanese boarding school in 1890. Its other accolades include the Sydney Taylor Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Award, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor, and a Malka Penn Award for Human Rights Honor. But he grieves for his uncle, a samurai who sacrificed himself for his beliefs, at a time when most of Japan is eager to shed ancient traditions. His 2017 novel Refugee has spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list, and is the winner of 14 state awards. Toyo is caught up in the competitive world of boarding school, and must prove himself to make the team in a new sport called besuboru. Alan Gratz is the bestselling author of a number of novels for young readers.
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