Heart of a Samurai

This is one of my favorites from the 2011 crop of award titles. This book tells the story of Manjiro Nakahama, a young Japanese fisherman in 1841 (before Japan opened to the West).  He and some companions were stranded on a remote island in a storm, and rescued by an American whaleboat.  They would be killed if they return to Japan, so Manjiro decided to join the American crew, was taken under the wing of the commander, William Whitfield, and was the first Japanese person to set foot on American soil.  By Japanese tradition, Manjiro was destined to be no more than a humble fisherman, but when his 10-year saga ended, he had become much more--in some respects becoming a samurai--a dream of his youth.  Written by Margi Preus, this was a Newbery honor book in 2011.