Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're shining the spotlight on a Children's Fiction title via Raggedy Moon Books. It's a story that takes us to the Far East for an unexpected adventure filled with danger, tradition, and an unexpected kick-butt heroine that in the end is just like you or me...simply trying to live her best life with the skills and means she's been given, and not letting anyone walk all over her family. So, are you ready to see what's between the pages? Here we go! Ready, set, READ....
Tokoyo, the Samurai’s Daughter
by
Faith L. Justice
Illustrated by
Kayla Gilliam
9780692677087
About the book...
Most noble-born girls of Tokoyo’s age learn to sing, paint, and write poetry.
Not Tokoyo.
She’s an adventurous girl! Tokoyo is the daughter of a samurai in fourteenth century Japan. Her father trains her in the martial arts. When he is away, she escapes to the sea where she works with the Ama—a society of women and girls who dive in the deep waters for food and treasure. But disaster strikes her family. Can Tokoyo save her father using the lessons she learned and the skills she mastered to overcome corrupt officials, her own doubts, and a nasty sea demon?
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If you loved the story of Mulan, this one will take you back...minus the singing, helpful critters, and fireworks. Take one beloved father wrongfully exiled, and one daughter determined to clear his name and see him once again. There are dangers, trials, struggles, surprises, and a whole lot of heart.
Family loyalty and honor are two major points in this story as well as respect of self, respect for others, and that nothing was ever achieved by taking the easy way out. Tokoyo could have simply done as her father said, escaped to family and friends outside the reach of the emperor, wait in relative safety, and trust in the wisdom and strength of her elders to get her through this trial. There would have been no shame in that, no dent to her own honor...but what of her father? What of the man who raised her, loved her, gave her the wings she needed to fly as she saw fit, exiled to a life of imprisonment or worse? No...I'm sorry. He raised a stronger daughter than that, and with his teachings in mind as well as those of the Ama at heart, Tokoyo does what any "proper" girl would do...takes the obstacle by the proverbial horns and seeks to annihilate it, regaining her family honor, home, and most importantly, setting right the wrong committed against her father and returning him to her, wisdom, heart, and all.
In the end, I enjoyed the tale told, the traditions shared, and the values celebrated. The only thing I would have changed was the length...I wanted more! More detail! More time to get to know her and her father, the ladies of the Ama, the creature fought beneath the sea...and so much more. For the target audience, the length should be just right and when combined with the illustrations that lead each chapter, we gain further insight into the events unfolding. A great read for the younger adventurer in your life or those young at heart.
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About the author...
Faith (Justice) has worked as a lifeguard, paralegal, systems analyst, human resources executive, college professor, freelance writer and novelist. It’s not that she can’t keep a job; it’s that there always seems to be something new to learn. She writes in her historic land-marked home “The Suffragette House” in Brooklyn, New York where she lives with her husband, daughter, and the required gaggle of cats. For fun, Faith likes to dig in the dirt—her garden and various archaeological sites.
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Special thanks to Hannah at Raggedy Moon Books for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available in ebook and tree book formats, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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