Adventure - and prejudice - on the high seas

For a fascinating look at life on a whaling boat and overcoming prejudice, I highly recommend Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus. This exciting adventure is based on the life of Manjiro Nakahama, the first Japanese person known to come to the U.S. In the mid-1800s, Manjiro was only 14 when he and four other fishermen were caught in a storm and stranded on a desert island. They were rescued, but much to their dismay, their saviors were Americans - well known to be "barbarians." While his countrymen keep their distance, Manjiro is curious about the whaling ship and its odd collection of people with so many different colors of skin, hair, and eyes. Although happy that the captain befriends him and eventually takes him to America, Manjiro still longs to be out on the water and back in Japan. Will he ever get there? Illustrated with actual drawings by the real Manjiro, this is a page-turner that also provides an interesting look at early racism between the U.S. and Japan.