In the time when the Shogun ruled Japan, two hundred samurai suffered a grave insult--their master met an unjust death. Forty-seven of them are courageous enough to avenge him. Jiro is a lowly servant to one of the brave samurai. Chosen as his master's unlikely spy during the planning of the great revenge, Jiro must learn when to talk and when to listen, or at any moment he could lose his head to a samurai's razor-sharp sword. And even as Jiro plays his small part in the unfolding plot, he searches for the truth about his own identity.

When the powerful Lord Takeda's soldiers sweep across the countryside, killing and plundering, they spare the boy Taro's life and take him along with them. Taro becomes a servant in the household of the noble Lord Akiyama, where he meets Togan, a cook, who teaches Taro and makes his new life bearable. But when Togan is murdered, Taro's life takes a new direction: He will become a samurai, and redeem the family legacy that has been stolen from him.

An American Library Association Notable Book and his first book for children, Erik Christian Haugaard's Hakon of Rogen's Saga is a remarkable novel that perfectly catches the mood of a harsh but heroic people. Set at the end of the Viking period, it tells of a young boy, Hakon, from the island of Rogen who, after his chieftain father is murdered, undertakes to reclaim his birthright from his treacherous uncle. The illustrations by renowned artists Leo and Diane Dillon make this captivating story come alive.

A Slave's Tale, the sequel to Hakon of Rogen's Saga, is told from the point of view of a slave girl, Helga, who stows away on the longship when Hakon, the young Viking chieftain, sets sail for France on a voyage to return Rark, a freed slave, to his homeland. The voyagers' journey is perilous--they narrowly escape capture by an invading fleet, and their ship is severely damaged by a storm. Upon reaching France--where the Vikings are now hated, not feared--only tragedy ensues.