Sword of the Samurai: Adventure Stories from Japan
Worth buying if: You enjoy Eric A. Kimmel’s lively retellings of folktales.
Skip it if: You prefer non-fiction history over folklore about samurai life.
Exact edition: Hardcover · ISBN-13 9780152019853. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
Eric A. Kimmel curates and retells traditional samurai adventure stories for younger readers, pairing brisk narratives, moral twists, and period detail across 114 pages from Harcourt Children's Books.
Why this book now
Classic samurai tales in Sword of the Samurai reconnect young readers to Japanese folklore and heroic ethics at a time of renewed interest in cross-cultural children's storytelling.
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You enjoy Eric A. Kimmel’s lively retellings of folktales.
- You want action-packed samurai adventures and moral dilemmas for middle-grade readers.
- If you enjoy slow-burn romance, the prose pauses to examine inner life.
- You prefer non-fiction history over folklore about samurai life.
- You need dense, adult-oriented scholarship on Japanese military history.
- You need the newest edition, freshest examples, or the most current framing.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Hardcover · ISBN-13 9780152019853
Worth buying if: You enjoy Eric A. Kimmel’s lively retellings of folktales.
Skip it if: You prefer non-fiction history over folklore about samurai life.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Very quick Low time commitment
At 114 pages, this Harcourt Children's edition makes for a single-evening read or a short read-aloud series across a few family sessions.
What stands out here
This 1999 Harcourt Children's Books edition emphasizes Eric A. Kimmel’s accessible retellings of classic samurai episodes aimed at middle-grade readers.
Best way to approach it
Read aloud to capture dramatic dialogue and rhythm, or pace yourself story-by-story to savor each samurai adventure and its folkloric lesson.
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Hardcover: ISBN-13 9780152019853
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.