Reviews for Samurai Summer
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 5-8-Edwardson's tale (Skyscape, 2013) has been translated from the Swedish by Per Carlsson, but listeners won't notice the foreign venue except for some unusual names. Twelve-year-old Kenny is at a camp for poor kids where the food is awful and the counselors are unfriendly. A self-schooled student of Japanese warriors, he leads a troop of samurai building a castle in the woods. Kenny is a hero coming of age, full of compassion and reckless pride. His troop is at war not only with a rival gang but also with the grown-ups, especially Matron. Kenny befriends Kerstin, a clever and funny girl, when she's upset after her parents visit. They are building a cautious friendship, but then Matron's son does something that causes Kerstin to run away. What begins as a typical tale of camp angst turns into a tense stand-off. Nick Podehl does an outstanding job voicing all the characters, from Sausage, Kenny's cowed protege, to Matron, the evil authority figure. Upbeat music bookends each CD. This is a great listen for boys, especially those who hated being sent to summer camp. The plot has tension, depth, and a champion worth cheering for.-C.A. Fehmel, St. Louis County Library, MO (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Set at summer camp (in Sweden during the 1960s), twelve-year-old Kenny and his friends chafe under the dictatorial guidance of the abusive Matron. Drawing on his deep knowledge of samurai history and culture, Kenny leads his fellow campers to oppose her. Echoes of Holes permeate the story; the tone keeps readers at a distance, possibly because of the translation. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
In Sweden in the early 1960s, 12-year-old Kenny is enduring his final stay at a budget summer camp by focusing on the selfless, powerful ways of the samurai. His quiet strength has drawn several young soldiers to him, and together they work tirelessly on a secret woodland castle: our canoe and our river and our jungle. The battle they fight as prisoners of the camp is with the hulking overseer Matron, whose cruel tactics include presenting the same unfinished plate of food day after day until a child finally eats it. There is a war coming between Kenny's soldiers and Matron Kenny can sense it and until that moment, he must stay strong and prepare. Perhaps due to the translation, there's an odd dryness and lack of urgency to the text, and Kenny's laconic nature feels more vacant than it does mysterious. On the other hand, the philosophical tone occasionally recalls Louis Sachar's Holes (1998), and the final battle with Matron, though underdeveloped, takes a surprising form. Curious but definitely original.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
