Tokoyo, the Samurai's Daughter

By Faith L. Justice

A young girl bucks convention in fourteenth century Japan. When a crooked minister frames her father and steals her home, is Tokoyo prepared to sacrifice all to save him?

Tokoyo’s samurai father trains her in martial arts. When he’s away, she escapes to the sea to dive with the Ama—a society of females who search the deep waters for food and treasure. With them, Tokoyo finds the friendship and adventure she craves.

When her father is banished to a remote island, she undertakes a desperate journey, filled with thieves and monsters. She’ll have to rely on all she’s learned from both her father and the Ama. Will her skills and tenacity save her or end in death?

"Tokoyo the Samurai’s Daughter" is the thrilling first installment of the Adventurous Girls series of middle-grade books based on world folk tales. If your young reader loves action, adventure, and far away places, don’t miss this “thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended" book. (Historical Novels Review)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Faith L. Justice
• Release date: May 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370722297

Faith L. Justice

Faith L. Justice writes in her historic land marked home “The Suffragette House” in Brooklyn, New York where she lives with her family and the required gaggle of cats. Her award-winning fiction has appeared in such publications as Circles in the Hair, The Copperfield Review, and Beyond Science Fiction and Fantasy. She’s published articles in such venues as Salon.com, Writer's Digest, and The Writer. Faith is Chair of the Historical Novel Society--New York City chapter and Associate Editor for Space and Time Magazine. She co-founded a writer’s workshop many more years ago than she likes to admit. For fun, she digs in the dirt – her garden and various archaeological sites.

Book preview

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Tokoyo, the Samurai’s Daughter

Copyright © 2017 Faith L. Justice.

All rights reserved.

2017

Raggedy Moon Books

raggedymoonbooks.com

Cover and interior images copyright © 2017 Kayla Gilliam licensed for the length of the book copyright

Print ISBN-10: 0692677089

Print ISBN-13: 978-0692677087

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017930973

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Ordering Information: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by schools, libraries, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the website above.

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CHAPTER 1 - Tokoyo and the Ama

CHAPTER 2 - The Pearl

CHAPTER 3 - An Adventurous Girl

CHAPTER 4 - Father's Home

CHAPTER 5 - A Deadly Curse

CHAPTER 6 - Arrested

CHAPTER 7 - A Thieving Clerk

CHAPTER 8 - Homeless

CHAPTER 9 - Life with the Ama

CHAPTER 10 - Finding a Boat

CHAPTER 11 - The Oki Islands

CHAPTER 12 - The Search Begins

CHAPTER 13 - Hard Times

CHAPTER 14 - The Sacrifice

CHAPTER 15 - A Demon in the Deep

CHAPTER 16 - A Fight to the Death

CHAPTER 17 - A Grateful Village

CHAPTER 18 - Revenge

CHAPTER 19 - Ama and Samurai's Daughter

CULTURAL NOTES

AUTHOR’S NOTE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR

List of Illustrations

CHAPTER 1 illustration

CHAPTER 2 illustration

CHAPTER 3 illustration

CHAPTER 4 illustration

CHAPTER 5 illustration

CHAPTER 6 illustration

CHAPTER 7 illustration

CHAPTER 8 illustration

CHAPTER 9 illustration

CHAPTER 10 illustration

CHAPTER 11 illustration

CHAPTER 12 illustration

CHAPTER 13 illustration

CHAPTER 14 illustration

CHAPTER 15 illustration

CHAPTER 16 illustration, part 1

CHAPTER 16 illustration, part 2

CHAPTER 17 illustration

CHAPTER 18 illustration

CHAPTER 19 illustration

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR

To my nieces Sophie and Lexie

and all the adventurous girls and boys out there.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It’s rare that an author writes a book all by herself and I’m no exception. Thanks to Nathan Reynolds, teacher at Leipsic Elementary School, Ohio for helping me find great fifth grade beta readers. My very special thanks to Elyssabeth, Jeremy, Juan, Seth, and Sofeea for reading an early draft of this story and giving me feedback. A few adults also took an early peek. Thanks to librarian Redona Klinkenborg, and teacher Hope Justice, at Creekview Ranch School, California. Kayla Gilliam contributed much more than just beautiful illustrations. She did additional research, corrected some of my Japanese words, and wrote the Cultural Note. Thanks to all of you for your unique insights and helping to make this the best possible book.

CHAPTER 1

Tokoyo and the Ama

AD 1319, the third year of Hojo Takatoki’s regency for Shogun Prince Morikuni

I PUT THE LAST OYSTER in the net bag attached to my belt and clasped my knife between my teeth. I looked up through the clear water to the shimmering spot that was the sun. The other divers—the Ama—were already near the top. My lungs began to burn—a sure sign I needed to return to the surface.

I scanned the rocks and corals