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Book Review By Katherine Brooks
The Sign Of The Chrysanthemum by Katherine Paterson

Muna and his mother were peasants who lived in a small island village in twelfth century Japan where they toiled hard for the lord of the island. Due to his illegitimacy, Muna had to endure the taunts and disdain of his fellow peasants, which made him determined to find his father, rumored to be an important samurai. After his mother's death, Muna ran away to the capital city of Japan to begin his quest.

During his journey he meets the boisterous yet likable samurai named Takanobu who later claims to be his father. He befriends a gentle sandlemaker and his lovely daughter, and becomes apprenticed to a renowned swordmaker of excellent character. As Muna interacts with these people and struggles to find his own identity, he must decide where his loyalties lie: with his "father" Takanobu, with the sandlemaker's daughter, with his provider and mentor the swordmaker, or only to himself in a determinedly isolated existence.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1600-1899 -
Ethnic/Regional/Religion
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Struggle over
Is this an adult or child's book? - Age 11-14
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Age: - a teen
Ethnicity/Nationality

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 7 ()
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Japan

Writing Style
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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