The Samurai's Tale

In the space of a day, the petted son of a noble samurai loses not only his family, but all his status. Rather than being killed with the rest, he unintentionally charms a samurai of the lord who killed his father and family, and is allowed to live - as a servant. Throughout his life, the boy seeks to return to the heights from which he descended. He meets wonderful friends, and learns many hard lessons - always in a state of war, or on the edge of it.

This is an excellent tale, filled with adventure and contemplation both. As is obvious by the schoolkids reviews on this site, it is not necessarily for the average child. But an intelligent kid, who is a good reader, and capable of understanding the differences between cultures, will enjoy this coming-of-age adventure.


Fine Juvenile Novel   July 13, 2001
R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

This very well written novel is set at the beginning of the period that saw the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate. There is an excellent and unsentimental depiction of feudal life and the often horrifying warfare of that period. Haugard is able to make his characters sympathetic without sacrificing their historical reality. As with many fine juvenile novels, the maturation of the main character is a central element. In this book, the concept of loyalty and the conflicts between feudal loyalty and family loyalty are important themes. Recommended strongly for early teens.


The Samurai's Tale   February 8, 2002
Derek Pan (Cerritos, CA USA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

The Samurai's Tale is the story of Taro, later known as Murakami Harutomo. His entire is family is killed except for him. He is taken in as a kitchen worker for Lord Akiyama Nobutomo. After witnessing the death of his master Togan, Lord Akiyama makes him a stable boy. From a stable boy he becomes a messenger for his lord. After that he becomes a warrior. He works his way up the ranks and becomes a samurai and one of the most trusted retainers of Lord Akiyama. However, he loses his master to Lord Oda Nobunaga. Now he is a ronin and knows he must take revenge for his master.
This book is one of the best books I have ever read. It has lots of action and feeling in it. I especially liked the part about the siege of Irwamura Castle. It shows Lord Akiyama's brilliance as a military strategist. I would recommend this book to anyone because it is a very interesting book with real facts about Medieval Japan.


Good book!   January 8, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is the story of a boy named Murakami, whose family gets killed when he is not yet five. Soldiers want to kill him, but he defends himself, which saves his life. Someone gives him "as a present" to Lord Akiyama, a samurai who is fighting to help his master, Takeda Shingen, become Shogun.

The story is GREAT and there are a lot of parts to it. There is a part about his childhood, about how he became a samurai, about how he fell in love with a girl named Aki-Hime. Some parts can be boring but overall it is a fantastic book and a touching story!




It's an action-packed page-turner!   May 10, 1999
Ms. Marik's 5th grade class (Falls Church, VA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This adventure will stay with you and won't let go. We are 5 sixth graders who were assigned "Samurai's Tale" by our language arts teacher. It kept us reading for nights and we ended up finishing weeks before the deadline. This story takes you through the feudal period in Japan with a young orphan named Taro; his dream is to become a samurai just like his dad. Read The Samurai's Tale to see if Taro's dream comes true.