Theme: castaway

Heart of a Samurai

By Book Importer | Published: August 15, 2011

In 1841, rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island, fourteen-year-old Manjiro, who dreams of becoming a samurai, learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States.

Descriptors: Asia, Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Japan » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Dolphin Song

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Just as Martine is settling into life at Sawubona, the wildlife game reserve, with her grandmother and Jemmy, her white giraffe, she must leave for two weeks on a school trip off the coast of South Africa. What begins as an exciting sea adventure quickly turns perilous when Martine and five of her classmates are [...]

Descriptors: Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Mozambique » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Manjiro: The Boy Who Risked His Life for Two Countries

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

In 1841, Japan had been closed to the outside world for 250 years, and anyone who tried to return to the country after leaving it could be executed. So when the small fishing boat on which fourteen-year-old Manjiro was working was shipwrecked, he despaired of ever returning to his village. The captain of the American [...]

Descriptors: Biography, Japan, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

The Castaways

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Tom Tin and his four convict companions are only too glad when they come upon a deserted ship. The boys clamber aboard, not knowing whether they’ve been saved or set on a course toward doom. But after rescuing two men stranded on a melting iceberg, Tom begins to suspect that these unsavory sailors are dangerous [...]

Descriptors: England (UK), Historical Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment