Samurai's Tale

I purchased this book for my teenage daughter who is obsessed with Japanese language and culture. She really enjoyed this book and recommended me to read it myself.
I'm not going to lie, it was tough going at first. So many of the names are so similar (but the beginning has the names of each character and who they are in case you lose track) and it can be difficult to read if you don't already know a little bit about Japanese culture. There are a lot of confusing locations as well (again, it's because I'm not familiar enough with the culture but the book also has a helpful map) However, the story really kept me coming back for more and I really began to care about the main character and whether he would become a samurai and survive in all the chaos of war. I think boys and girls would really enjoy this story but I feel this is such a great read for boys. The only reason for not giving it 5 stars is because it can be a difficult read for a non-Asian family. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up.