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Book Review of Samurai Summer

Samurai Summer
Samurai Summer
Author: Ake Edwardson
Genre: Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
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Summary:
Kenny is attending a summer camp that seems to be for juvenile delinquents and is run by the government. While there, he is fascinated with samurais. He decides to spend his summer becoming one. As the book goes on, other children begin to follow Kenny and they make a "castle" in the woods to prepare for battle. They do have a battle with the adults, who are clearly abusing children. This "epic" battle ends and we hope the children's lives improve.

My thoughts:
Honestly, I found this extremely difficult to get into. It's confusing. I don't know if there is something lacking in the translation or if it is the book in general, but there is no clear development. The setting is not developed and it takes awhile to actually get what is going on. Kenny is not really developed. The reader has no background on him at all. It is really difficult to like him at all because everything is so depressing and dark. Plus, I had a hard time figuring out his motivation. Finally, there is barely any action at all. The only thing that makes this a redeemable is the general mood and tone of the story. You can really feel the novel even without the descriptions.