White Crane

Samurai Kids #1

by Sandy Fussell, Rhian Nest James (Illustrator)

Even though he has only one leg, Niya Moto is studying to be a samurai, and his five fellow-students are similarly burdened, but sensei Ki-Yaga, an ancient but legendary warrior, teaches them not only physical skills but mental and spiritual ones as well, so that they are well-equipped to face their most formidable opponents at the annual Samurai Games.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Japan, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Adventure, Middle Grade

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

About the author

Sandy Fussell lives south of Sydney with her husband and two sons. She studied mathematics at university, is intensely interested in history and now works in IT. From the moment she could read, Sandy loved books and always wanted to be a writer. In school, she wrote what she refers to as “booklets” and “terrible plays that the teacher made the class perform”. After school, Sandy forgot about writing for a long time and started a family. She came back to writing after one of her children stopped reading and she suggested that they write a book together.

Reviews

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is my second Middle Grade review ever and I have been trying to keep these one's shorter. Wish me luck! Of all the novels I have received in the past two months, this one got the greatest reaction from my class. The combination of the Samurai theme with the amazing artistry seemed to immediately capture their imaginations.

Sandy Fussell is an author with the talent of simplicity. She is deceptively descriptive as she paints images so effectively that kids access their imagination while not being overwhelmed by verbose, flowery sentences that so many authors use.

Samurai Kids: White Crane is the first novel of a series that follows the adventures of a group of kids studying to be Samurais under the tutelage of Ki-Yaga, a wizened and tough Mr Miagi type. Each of the students face hardship; whether missing a limb, blindness, fear or the absence of skin pigment (yes there is an albino character). This had the makings of being a cliche but it wasn't at all. None of the characters are self-pitying, each are continually encouraged by their teacher and one another that they can achieve anything. I think this is a great message for young readers. At no point is it clunky or preachy, I think this is why it's reached its targeted audience so effectively.

Of course there is plenty of adventure, sword play and the Trainee Games to keep your interest. Fussell's created a strong world, she's obviously spent significant time researching the way of the Samurai. She effectively shares that knowledge in a way kids (and myself) can process while integrating it clearly and strongly into the narrative.

I would like to make special mention of Rhian Nest James' beautiful artwork that favours the cover and many pages of this novel. They fit the novel so well as they too are deceptively simple while conveying meaning. I especially love the sidebars that grace each chapter's beginning.

Young readers will really enjoy the exploits of the Samurai Kids!

[Mark Gannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave a quick read too see was appropriate for my nephew and it was. Five stars earned and great artwork

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this as an audiobook for a road trip with a diverse mix of kids (10-12 year olds) in the vehicle. It was a good choice. It is an empowering story focusing on the character's strengths rather than their weaknesses. It mixes traditional feudal Japanese stories and themes into an accessible story for mid-grade kids. Some of the teaching stories were a lot of fun outside of the larger story. The symbolism and metaphors were strong. The kids started talking about goldfish in their stomachs swimming around before their races. Very cute and evocative - especially when the goldfish sprout wings!

We will try more of these for future road trips. (It didn't even annoy the other adults in the car).

[Bookwormgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story. I loved Niya's voice, he tries to be practical but sometimes his imagination gets the better of him. I loved their sensei, Ki-Yaga, he is an all knowing, butt-kicking, sleepy little old dude who loves those kids.

All the kids have problems but they overcome them together. That's what this story is about, overcoming your handicaps, obstacles and trials by believing in yourself and teamwork.

This is one that I will pass on to my nieces. I think they will like the samurai kids and their adventures as much as I did.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story and I love that the samurai kids
a. have a great teacher
b. don't let their disabilities prevent them from reaching their goals
c. work together and help one another
d. show respect and honor even when others are dishonorable.

I'm planning to read this to my 3rd graders. I hope they will like it as much as I did.

[Tracey Cruickshank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Has it all including humor, intrigue, strategy, suspense, good lessons learned.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

For myself I found this book rather dull and uneventful. The most interesting part of the book was the last 50 pages and even then it was a bit meh. There was no real incentive or action to draw me in to keep reading it. I only finished it because it was a small book and I hate half reading books.
This isn't to say that the book was bad, I think the meanings the book tries to instil such as friendship, courage and compassion are really well worded and for a younger audience would be well received. However, I feel that I never really bonded with the characters. I love it when you live an experience with these fictional characters that you have just known for ever, and I didn't get that from this book. Again though, I'm not the target audience so perhaps that may be a clue into my disengagement and detachment from the characters and story.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Samurai tale. It tells of Niya, a one-legged boy who is training to be a Samurai at the Cockroach Ryu. Immediately, we are intrigued. How can a boy with only one leg become a Samurai warrior? Why is their school named after the cockroach, rather than a powerful animal like the tiger, dragon, or wolf?

The first half of the book focuses on introducing the characters, their school and their training. The second half focuses on a tournament and how they fare against the other ryus.

It did remind me a little to much of The Karate Kid at times, but it was enjoyable and interesting, with a good message for young readers too. It would be interesting to see how the rest of the series develops, what new elements it brings to the story.

[Hanzalah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for kids. The sensei has taken in various pupils who all have some disability or other reason to be 'outcast-ed'. One boy is missing a leg and another is blind. Enjoyable read overall. I especially liked the students interactions with each other, and the sensei's tidbits of wisdom to them.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for elementary school ages, though longer, so maybe for late elementary? Has light conflict with good suggestions for the most part in a hard-to-place post/late samurai Era, couched in the aspect of games instead of battle. Mostly light hearted.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good read. Group of kids labeled as outcasts because of their disability show they have what it takes to become samurai as they trained for the competition and win while making friends along the way.

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this ... I need to remember it's a middle grade book and is not typical of my genre preferences these days ... nice moral lessons in here ... likeable characters ...

[Michal Paszkiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely story about friendship, honour and fortitude.

[Matthew Diehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A inspiring story of Niya and his friends overcoming fears and making new friends. A wonderful tale for all ages.

[Harry W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not enough sword fighting

[Lark-at-the-library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book to do for a library/classroom tween book club.
It is ability diverse, and teaches kids that they are capable of great things if they just try.
Their school is given the animal of cockroaches, because the students there are going to be resilient to whatever life throws at them.

[Katrina Ly · Rating 3 out of 5]

i haven't got much to say about this book except i didn't really like it. from the start, the writing just seemed to scream CLICHE CLICHE. there wasn't much originality in it except the part about the ryu teaching kids nobody else really wanted which was cool. the writing was too junior and too light for me and the plot just wasn't dark enough. the supposedly wise people were portrayed in a way i didn't really believe and the dragon master was more like a naughty schoolboy than an actual evil, sinister guy. overall, i gave this book 3 stars because there were some good points in it. the writing to me, just wasn't good enough to appeal to my tastes though and the plot was just not believable. the characters didn't develop much which was also a major let-down as i like reading books that are not too light and where the character develops and is different in some way at the end.

to all those thinking about reading this book, its basically about a samurai ryu (school) which is made up of kids nobody else really wants because the kids have some kind of deformity like a missing leg or arm. the kids here form very tight bonds with each other but because of their natural disability, they are at a disadvantage at every annual samurai games where training samurai from different ryu's must compete with other. because of their natural disadvantage, they usually come dead last at these events and because of this, their esteem goes down. this book is written from niya's point of view. his got a missing leg and he and his friends are about to discover they can do anything when they set their minds to it especially with the up and coming games.

this book, i found, wasn't the type of book i would enjoy but if you're thinking about reading it, don't let me drag you down! go for it and decide for yourself whether i'm right or wrong. for all you know, it might be exactly the type of book you're looking for! :)

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I reviewing a book that I had picked up years ago? Yes, yes I am.

There's just something about this series that sticks to you throughout your life - at least to me. Perhaps, it's because I have read the series to the 4th book and had become incredibly invested in the story as the characters grew. The first book is a great introduction to the beginnings of the journey these samurai kids take. If you're looking for an adult read, this first book might feel lacking in terms of a thrilling storyline one might hope for in a book about samurai's - not like this one has no thrill at all.

However, it does cater to the imaginative minds of the intended audience as I was in elementary at that time and the story had captured and swallowed me whole back then. The narrator himself has quite the imagination, catering to the visualizing abilities of his audience. Carefully constructed characters and a tone of mystery surrounding their sensei all add up to a perfect light read for a middle school book!

It's an easy read, especially for beginners but I can say there is still a tone of elegance to the words, though not complicated enough to be unreadable by children. I'd highly recommend it for beginner readers and those who seek experience in a series rather than depth.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short & Sweet: Niyo is a one-legged samurai kid who is training with Ki-Yaga of the Cockroach Ryu. All of Ki-Yaga's students are overcoming a form of disadvantage and they do not believe they can win the Samurai Trainee Games, but will compete all the same. These students may be missing a leg, an arm, or even eyesight, but they have an inner strength that may help them overcome the fierce Dragon Ryu. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which had a lot of struggles within. Not only did these characters struggle, but the characters were so unique in personality and skill, they were unforgettable. The illustrations within the novel add an extra depth to the story's setting and characters. Not only was White Crane an entertaining read, but there was a lot to the characters and how they dealt with their weaknesses.

Final Verdict: White Crane is a great start to a new series that reads easily and has a complex plot with many different themes that readers will be able to connect to. I think this one has some great boy appeal as well, as samurai wield swords (what could be cooler than that?).

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little uncertain how seriously I was supposed to take it. It wasn't historical fiction, but it wasn't straight-up fantasy either. How accurate it was to historical Japan is something I'm not qualified to judge.

However.

This one-legged boy not once, but twice, referred to his 'ankles'. And once, in the same paragraph with one of the 'ankles' references referred to his 'sandals'. He was also swept off his feet at one point, but I'll take that for a figure of speech. It just.. it doesn't do to forget your main character has one leg, all right?

Additionally, I'm dubious someone with one leg can kick with any amount of force and land on their foot, without the use of a crutch.

Then there was a completely jarring reference to a guy in a robe. "The world is a strange place when the wisest and holiest of priests is an old man in a pink dress. Wisdom must be color-blind, with no fashion sense." No. Cuz.. no. It's not a dress. And pink is not exactly a color some old Japanese guy from the past shouldn't be wearing!

It also gave me Karate Kid flashbacks.

I have no pressing need to read more of these.

[M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niya is a one-legged Samurai boy in the Cockroach Rya, a Samurai school in which all the students have problems. In addition to Niya, one boy has only one arm, one is blind, one doesn't want to fight, and there's a girl who is an albino, obvious difficulties to deal with in training to be Samurai. They're training to participate in the Samurai Trainee Games and fear the Dragon Rya, a school with a fearsome reputation. They know they'll be beaten, but hope they'll at least win enough points to show honor.

Individually each student has problems. What they learn, however, is that by working together, they can accomplish much more than they ever imagined.

I'm assuming this book is historically accurate but I don't really know. Were there girls who trained as Samurai? Were boys traditionally sent away for 6 years of study, and were any of them physically handicapped? Were there annual games for trainees? I wish there had been an appendix which explained some of these things but other than that, I really liked this book.

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language – G, Sexual Content – G; Violence – PG
The Cockroach Ryu is a ryu for the unwanted, the freaks. Niya and his friends have missing limbs, extra digits, and other problems to overcome when training to become samurai. They are now halfway through training and heading for The Games. There they will stick out like a sore thumb and be laughed at, but this year, they aren’t the only crippled ones.
It’s exciting to see these kids overcome their obstacles. I also loved the pieces of wisdom their Sensei told them (especially the ones about cockroaches being mightier than dragons). These are only a couple examples of the greatness of this book, but they aren’t my favorite lesson. My favorite thing about this book is that it shows that even if you’re lacking something, you don’t have to be a cripple. You are only a cripple if you let it hinder you.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good from beginning to end. The people at the Cockroach Ryu are specially challenged because they have extra or missing appendages or fingers or toes, so it's a challenge to learn to swordfight. And they've never won a trainee games thing. This is after the Bakamatsu, I think. And one year they're feeling especially confident because they've been practicing and disciplined more than anyone else. Will they win the trainee games? Or will the dragon ryu prevail again? Read this exciting book to find out.

[Travis Berketa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the way this book was written to be somewhat tedious in the reading and the attempts to make Kyoko, the six-fingered girl, a strong female lead appeared quite forced. It pretty much showed the "Samurai Boys can't do it, but the Samurai Girl can", which kind of went against the books theme of working together to achieve success.

However, that said, I thought the book does have some excellent themes for kids to take heed of. As a teacher, I feel that this book is great with the issues it covers, but not from a writing point of view.

[Dee-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was gentle, but funny and had elements of adventure and violence. There was a lot of pint-sized wisdom throughout the book, which is relevant to big and little people.

I really enjoyed the Samurai games, which included both physical aspects and mental aspects, such as haiku, calligraphy and often cunning won over brawn.

I found the language a little stilted, but it suited the narrator and I quickly got used to it.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love the first two books of this series, but the library doesn't have the rest (ILL either!). They teach respect, caring, the difference between bullying and friends teasing one another out of love and how what's on the outside doesn't indicate what's on the inside. Oh, and teamwork and true strength vs. true weakness ... absolutely adore these books, my son thinks I'm crazy as I cry at the end of each one. ...

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the one sentence promo on the back of this book: "Can a one-legged boy become a great samurai warrior?" Terrific book, fascinating premise, and my favorite thing was the messages of flexibility and diverse opinions are acceptable. This was a book I read for Hong Kong Battle of the Books. Love that it is exposing me to Australian authors!

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book of this kind I have ever read, after it was recommended by a student and I had seen it on this year's Battle of Books list for Hong Kong. I enjoyed it, especially since it was so different from what I usually read. I am sure kids love it since it is a great adventure in which the underdogs through determination, courage, loyalty and friendship make a difference.

[Ada Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fifth grade students have been reading a series of chapter books for this year's Battle of the Books. This is the one that has won over the hearts of all, both boys and girls. In their words, it is "an action story of friendship, compassion, and self-acceptance." They all love it, and I love it as well.

[DeeNeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, enjoyable YA story of a group of disabled and misfit kids, training to be samurai warriors in feudal Japan with a touch of fantasy. This is written for very young adult audience, but still worth reading. Deals with overcoming physical and mental hurdles, and the power of team work and friendships.