Samurai Summer
By Karen Wirsing,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Swedish summer camp thriller gets lost in translation.
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What's the Story?
SAMURAI SUMMER is a thriller set in Swedish summer camp in the early 1960s.Young Kenny's had to go to the rotten camp for as long as he can remember. The camp's run by a malevolent woman and her evil son, Christian, who force the campers to eat the same mush for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day. The only way Kenny has survived summer after summer at the terrible camp is by imagining himself and his comrades as samurai warriors. Kenny and his gang are in the midst of building an extravagant castle in the middle of the forest to escape the awful camp counselors, when all of a sudden his good friend Kerstin goes missing. This event challenges Kenny and the other Samurais to better understand who they can and cannot trust. Will the camp kids come together to solve the mystery, or will Kenny’s rival gang ruin everything?
Is It Any Good?
Samurai Summer is as short on plot as it is intriguing characters. The characters in this story are definitely mysterious, but that's only because the reader never gets any information about them. Unfortunately, most of the book is a detailed account of the terrible meals served in the mess hall and fog rolling in over the lake rather than the development of a more concrete story. Atmospheric details are great when paired with a compelling theme that builds to an exciting climax. Samurai Summer has a sinister energy but lacks any action until the final pages, which will still leave readers asking themselves, "What have I just learned?"
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about bullying. Have you ever been the victim of bullying or bullied someone else? What are some ways to prevent or stop bullying?
Why do you think stories about summer camps are so popular? What other books or movies about camp have you read or watched?
How do you think the mystery element works with the other parts of the story?
Book Details
- Author: Ake Edwardson
- Genre: Mystery
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Skyscape
- Publication date: June 25, 2013
- Number of pages: 242
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged)
- Last updated: September 17, 2015
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