The Sign of the Chrysanthemum (Harper Trophy Book) [Paperback]

Katherine Paterson (Author), Peter Landa (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Harper Trophy Book

Muna has never known his father -- a samurai, a noble warrior. But Muna's mother has told Muna how he will know him one day: by the sign of the chrysanthemum. When his mother dies, Muna travels to the capital of twelfth-century Japan, a bewildering city on the verge of revolution. He finds a haven there, as servant to the great swordsmith, Fukuji. But Muna cannot forget his dream: He must find his father. Only then will he have power and a name to be reckoned with. Only then will he become a man.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the Newbery Medalist's first book, Muna searches for his father, a samurai warrior, in 12th century Japan. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A powerful and fascinating picture of the harsh realities as well as the beauty and excitement of feudal Kyoto." -- -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (June 3, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064402320
• ISBN-13: 978-0064402323
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Paterson has twice won both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award. She received the 1998 Hans Christian Andersen Medal as well as the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for the body of her work. An active promoter of reading and literacy, she lives with her husband, John, in Barre, Vermont. They have four children and seven grandchildren. Visit Katherine Paterson on her web site at www.terabithia.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A heart-warming, captivating read., December 2, 2004

By 

Jane Frances (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sign of the Chrysanthemum (Harper Trophy Book) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book and read it in about two hours (it is a short book). I am a Chinese lady teaching 12th grade English and I am sure all my students will enjoy this book, and also any grades from 9th onwards, because of its universal themes of search for identity, how it encapsulates the adventurous spirit of Feudal Japan, and its simple language which manages to be so evocative at the same time. For all those who didn't enjoy reading or teaching the book, may I suggest that you let your students watch some extremely popular Japanese Animation series about Feudal Japan like Rurouni Kenshin and Inuyasha before reading this book. Katherine Paterson's book reads exactly like a a great Anime series and I could picture the whole thing in my mind, background music and scenery included, and it was beautiful. So beautiful. Anyone with even a vague knowledge of feudal era Anime, or Japanese Culture and History of the Heian period will realise how accurately Paterson has portrayed the Japanese ideals of 'honour' and 'family'. She also deliberately tones down her writing style to match the simple sentence structures and restrained style of many East Asian writers, and this would be useful to know when comparing this book stylistically with her other works.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Pedal of the Chrysanthemun, December 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sign of the Chrysanthemum (Harper Trophy Book) (Paperback)

The book starts off with a boy named Muna, the nameless one, whos mother just passed away. He now wants to look for his warrior father so that he would be able to be highly respected and change his name of his 14th birthday to a name more proper for a man, but the only thing he knows about his father is that he has a chrysanthemun tattoo and a he is a Heike warrior.
I thought this book was quite good. It had many dialogues, a good storyline, and some action. Most of all, I liked how the book was easy to understand.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sign of the Chrysanthemum, September 3, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Sign of the Chrysanthemum (Paperback)

I think this was a great book. It was about a boy named Muna. Muna has never known his father because he left before Muna was born. So, after Muna's mother died, Muna went in search of his father. Muna meets many news people along the way and lives with a swordsmith. you have to read the rest of the book to find out what happens next. But, I would highly recommend it, especially to seventh graders studying fuedal Japan. I give this book two thumbs up!!!