cover image Samurai Awakening

Samurai Awakening

Benjamin Martin. Tuttle, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-4-8053-1228-5

Martin offers an unconventional fish-out-of-water adventure in this well-researched but problematic debut. Thirteen-year-old David Matthews is an American exchange student spending a year in Japan, where his inability to speak Japanese makes him an outcast. Everything changes after an incident at a local shrine imbues David with the spirit of a Kami, a Japanese god. Suddenly able to understand those around him, David also discovers newfound powers and responsibilities as a newly created Jitsugen Samurai responsible for protecting Japan and fighting evil. Under the guidance of a host family, David is thrust into a shadowy life of intense training and deadly encounters. Martin scrupulously details the elements of David's apprenticeship, and his familiarity with Japanese customs and myth lends verisimilitude%E2%80%94the weight of which can sometimes overwhelm the story. Martin's writing is richest when conveying David's initial disorientation as an outsider in a new environment. While the fantasy elements are intriguingly grounded in Japanese culture, the central premise that an American foreigner is elected to become a chosen one is an outdated trope that undermines much of the story. Ages 12%E2%80%93up. (Oct.)