{"product_id":"hunt-for-the-bamboo-rat-isbn-9780375842672","title":"Hunt for the Bamboo Rat","description":"\u003cb\u003e“A gripping saga of wartime survival.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBased on a true story, this World War II novel by Scott O’Dell Award winner Graham Salisbury tells how Zenji, 17, is sent from Hawaii to the Philippines to spy on the Japanese.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji Watanabe was born in Hawaii. He’s an American, but the Japanese wouldn’t know it by the look of him. And that’s exactly what the US government is counting on. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBecause he speaks both English and Japanese perfectly, the army recruits Zenji for a top-secret mission to spy on the Japanese. If they discover his true identity, he’ll be treated as a traitor and executed on the spot.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAs World War II boils over in the Pacific, Zenji is caught behind enemy lines. But even though his Japanese heritage is his death warrant, it’s also his key to outwitting the enemy and finding the strength to face the terrors of battle, the savagery of the jungle, and the unspeakable cruelty of war.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe riveting \u003ci\u003eHunt for the Bamboo Rat \u003c\/i\u003eis based on a true story and follows in the path of author Graham Salisbury’s other highly acclaimed Prisoners of the Empire titles, which began with the award-winning \u003ci\u003eUnder the Blood-Red Sun.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinalist for:\u003cbr\u003eNebraska Golden Sower Award\u003cbr\u003eSouth Carolina Book Awards\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Salisbury has once again crafted a fine novel, based on an actual person, about first-generation Americans of Japanese descent and the clash of culture and national identity that World War II accentuated. . . .  The story will leave readers spellbound.\" —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews,\u003c\/i\u003e Starred\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Fast-paced and compelling, this title will be enjoyed by voracious and reluctant readers.\" —\u003ci\u003eSLJ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The history is fascinating, and Zenji is a fictional hero readers will long remember.\" —\u003ci\u003eThe Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003estarred review\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eSeptember 2014:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Written in short, rapid-fire paragraphs that move the plot along at a brisk pace, the story will leave readers spellbound. A gripping saga of wartime survival.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"...the history is fascinating, and Zenji is a fictional hero readers will long remember.\" - Horn Book ReviewGraham Salisbury’s family has lived in the Hawaiian Islands since the early 1800s. He grew up on Oahu and Hawaii and graduated from California State University. He received an MFA from Vermont College of Norwich University, where he was a member of the founding faculty of the MFA program in writing for children. He lives with his family in Portland, Oregon.\u003cbr\u003e   Graham Salisbury’s books have won many prizes.\u003ci\u003e Blue Skin of the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e won the Bank Street Child Study Association Children’s Book Award; \u003ci\u003eUnder the Blood-Red Sun \u003c\/i\u003ewon the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the Oregon Book Award, Hawaii’s Nene Award, and the California Young Reader Medal; \u003ci\u003eShark Bait \u003c\/i\u003ewon the Oregon Book Award and a Parents’ Choice Silver Honor; \u003ci\u003eLord of the Deep\u003c\/i\u003e won the \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe–Horn Book \u003c\/i\u003eAward. He has also written the Calvin Coconut series for younger readers. \u003cbr\u003e   Graham Salisbury is a recipient of the John Unterecker Award for Fiction and the PEN\/Norma Klein Award. Visit him online at grahamsalisbury.com.Zenji Watanabe was in the middle of an early-morning daydream as he walked to his job at Honolulu Harbor. He was trying to imagine himself as a Buddhist priest like his teachers at Japanese school when a rat leaped out of a garbage can just ahead, sending the metal lid clanging to the sidewalk.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe jumped back and adjusted his glasses. “Crazy rat!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLate for work, he was cutting through Chinatown, hoping he could make it without any trouble.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the rat changed that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThree Chinese guys sitting on their heels two blocks down looked his way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Oh, man,” Zenji whispered.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was August 1941, and in Honolulu tensions between the Chinese and Japanese had risen like fire-spewing dragons because of what had happened in Nanking, China. In 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army killed over a hundred thousand innocent Chinese civilians. Maybe even more. To Zenji it was a tragedy. But some patriotic Japanese immigrants had publicly cheered Japan’s success. Anger at Japan still smoldered in Chinatown.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe three guys were about his age, seventeen. They seemed as surprised to see him as he was to see them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne guy had hair that hung past his shoulders. “Hey!” He sprang to his feet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe others got up, shooting Zenji dirty looks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji pretended not to see them, and turned casually down the street to his left. The second he was out of sight, he ran.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHide--an open door, a dark alley, a low window!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhere?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe spotted a rusted fire escape and climbed it, hoping it would hold. One floor up, he punched through a window screen and tumbled into somebody’s bedroom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe scrambled to his feet and glanced around.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmpty . . . except for the biggest bed he’d ever seen. And a dresser with a huge mirror, a red velvet chair, a nightstand with a frilly lamp.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA hotel?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe edged back up to the window and peeked out. Long-hair guy ran into view.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji stepped back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Man,” he whispered. “Now what?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat would his teacher-priests do in this mess? They believed that if you had compassion for people in your heart, everything would turn out well. Zenji wasn’t so sure about that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe decided they’d do one of two things: use kendo, their swordsmanship with bamboo sticks, or stand firm and peacefully face the problem.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji didn’t know kendo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSomeone in the street shouted, “He’s here! I smell um.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe bedroom door flew open and slammed against the wall. A Chinese man the size of a garbage truck stood in the doorway with a baseball bat. He looked hard at Zenji and quickly took in every corner of the room.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji staggered back. “It’s not what you think, mister.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe big man pointed the bat at him as he came into the room, circling to his right, his eyes never leaving Zenji.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I didn’t mean to break in. . . . Some guys down on the street chased me. I was just walking to my job.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe man moved close enough to hammer Zenji’s brains to mush.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji put his palms out, trying to stop him. “I . . . I just got a job at the harbor, and--”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You know what this place is?” the man snapped. “You really want to bus’ in here? What’s your name?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji looked for a way out. There wasn’t one. “Zenji . . . Watanabe.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe big man studied him, then lowered the bat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe stepped over to the window and looked out. “I don’t see nobody.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“They’re out there. Three of them. I didn’t do anything to them.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe big man grunted. “You Japanee, that’s what you did. Come. You gotta get out of Chinatown. Stupid to come here.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji followed him down the hall. Four young women stuck their heads out from different doors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hey, Jesse, who you got there? What’s going on?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Not’ing. Kid got the wrong address.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh, jeez, Zenji thought. Now he knew what this place was.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe tried to smile at the women.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHeat rushed to his face when one blew him a kiss.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJesse took Zenji out to the street, looking right, then left. He pointed with his chin to three guys crossing toward them, ignoring a honking car.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“That’s them,” Zenji said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“They jus’ kids.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Maybe, but there’s three of them and one of me.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe three guys strutted around Zenji, staring him down, ignoring Jesse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji kept his mouth shut.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBe calm. Don’t show fear.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We go,” Jesse said. “I take you out of here.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji shook his head. “No. Thanks, but . . . I can take care of this.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJesse stared at him. “You crazy?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Prob’ly.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJesse hesitated, and stepped back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-hair guy blocked the sidewalk. Barefoot, street-dirty feet, khaki pants, tight black T-shirt, a small star tattooed on his left earlobe, and eyes that darted like a lizard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe two other guys moved in around him. Their faces said You going get hurt, Japanee.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji tried to drag up some Buddhist compassion. These guys are just . . . these guys are . . . \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThink!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOkay. They hate me. But I don’t have to hate them. Look them in the eye. Show no fear.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-Hair grunted. “We going take your head off today, Japanee punk. What you t’ink?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’m not going to fight you.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-Hair leaned into Zenji’s face. “Sissy, you?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji didn’t blink.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJesse crossed his arms, and people on the sidewalk watched, silent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey’re just guys like me, Zenji told himself. No different.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-Hair and Zenji stared into each other’s eyes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBreathe. Long, slow breath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThink.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe’s just a guy. Got a little sister\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA dog.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis mother likes him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaybe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji almost choked on a laugh.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinally, Long-Hair stepped back. “Pfff. Beat it, Jap punk. Nex’ time we not going be so nice.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji nodded and eased around the three guys. He wanted to say something back. Friendly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDon’t push it. Could be they’re just afraid of Jesse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZenji nodded to the big guy and walked away.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe glanced back over his shoulder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-Hair ran a finger across his throat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter he turned the corner, Zenji stopped and took deep breaths. He held his trembling hands out, palms down.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe looked again at the streets of Chinatown in surprise. He was trembling not because he was afraid, but because he’d just discovered something: that smile inside?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was real.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDang. Those priests were good.","brand":"Ember","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300381839589,"sku":"NP9780375842672","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780375842672.jpg?v=1767729542","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/hunt-for-the-bamboo-rat-isbn-9780375842672","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}