Cloud of Sparrows
by Takashi Matsuoka | 
Autumn Bridge
by Takashi Matsuoka | 
Taiko
by Eiji Yoshikawa | 
Musashi
by Eiji Yoshikawa | 
The Tokaido Road
by Lucia St. Clair Robson | 
The Commoner
by John Burnham Schwartz | 
The Woman in the White Kimono
by Ana Johns |
The Sign of the Chrysanthemum
by Katherine Paterson | 
The Teahouse Fire
by Ellis Avery |
The Snow Fox
by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer | 
The Scent of Sake
by Joyce Lebra | 
The Master Puppeteer
by Katherine Paterson |
Shike
by Robert Shea | 
Sisters of the Sword
by Maya Snow | 
The Tale of Murasaki
by Liza Dalby | 
Caravans
by James A. Michener | 
Highways to a War
by Christopher Koch | 
The King's Last Song
by Geoff Ryman | 
Follow the River
by James Alexander Thom | 
Texas
by James A. Michener |
When the powerful Lord Takeda's soldiers sweep across the countryside, killing and plundering, they spare the boy Taro's life and take him along with them. Taro becomes a servant in the household of the noble Lord Akiyama, where he meets Togan, a cook, who teaches Taro and makes his new life bearable. But when Togan is murdered, Taro's life takes a new direction: He will become a samurai, and redeem the family legacy that has been stolen from him.