Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

We purchased this book because it was required reading for my rising 6th grader. He is a very good reader and could read this book. However, it is non-fiction. He loves fiction and wasn't really motivated to read this. We read this together- taking turns reading pages. We quickly got into the story. Unlike some non-fiction, this book is a story. We both learned so many things about Commodore Perry and his expedition to the Land of the Shogun, Japan. We both thoroughly enjoyed the story. It has many pictures which added greatly to the story. The pictures are drawings by the parties involved in this expedition- the Japanese and the Americans. The drawings are a fascinating part of the story as you get to see how people are viewed by the different cultures. The story also is told from the different perspectives- from the Japanese and the American perspectives. Thus, we can understand why the Japanese were not interested in trading with foreigners. Certainly this topic is relevant to some of our problems today. Our fear of foreigners is certainly causing controversy in modern times in the US. Maybe we can learn a lesson? This book is not political though and does not give a "message". It is a very good, well balanced story that leaves it to the reader to make their own conclusions. Either way, it's an excellent book. I highly recommend it for ages 9-14. You may want to read it with your child unless they love non-fiction -especially for younger ones. My child read it with me at age 11 so any 9 year old readers would need to be gifted readers or very interested in this topic (historical non-fiction) in my judgement.

This was actually a really good book that I read to my sons.Commodore Perry was the first American to successfully make it to Japan without being imprisoned and set out to make a peace treaty with them in order to make trades and good relations with them. He is still celebrated in Japan today for helping them out of their solitude and leading them to eventually inspiring the emperor to wanting to end all castes there.It was really neat to learn this history and teach my sons. They can even tell you about the various castes that existed.This was fun and apart of history we don't tend to hear about here in the US. It is sad, in a way.

Great telling of a little known happening. Thanks

This book is exactly what I was looking for, something that would drop me right back into those early days of contact between Japan and the USA, so I could sense the cultural differences, the political environment, and something of the surprise involved in that kind of cultural exchange. I didn't expect to get all that and more, but I did. School Library Journal is quoted as saying "there is no better book for students on this historical event" -- I would say students of all ages who want this kind of concise but comprehensive introduction to the events portrayed. And it is beautifully produced. A treasure for my bookshelf, not just one fast read.

This book is written for upper elementary or middle school students, but appeals to a much broader range. I bought this book to read for myself and also to read with my 3rd grade son. The book is interesting and has a good pace. Interesting pictures are included that help catch the attention of younger readers. I think this book is a good choice for teaching children history.

Informative and well written, a desired addition to my Newbery Collections.

I considered this selection because it was recxommended by Amazon. It gave me back ground info on my favorite book, Shogun and it told the story of Commodore Perry very well with great pictures, comics and insight from Japan, at that time.

I am waiting for my 8-1/2 year old grandson to tell me how he likes it, after we get the companion volume "Shipwrecked."

Been meaning to read this for a while-very goodI would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the opening of japan to westerners'bear in mind it's a large paperback format but quite thin.

Great book

You will obviously need special interest in the topic of this book, but even to those who are completely unprepared to the events described in the book it is fun to read. The author succeeded in writing a well researched book with a lot of surprising background information and anecdotes that truly make it possible for the reader to get a clear view on all the cultural differences between the involved nations, and the sometimes amusing ways how all these people try to solve the conflict without risking a war or losing face. Written in an easy to understand way. I would even call this book a master sample on how to write good non-fiction! Contains many historical illustrations and an appendix with the text of historical documents and treaties.