"A gripping saga of wartime survival." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Based 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.
Zenji 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.
Because 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.
As 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.
The riveting Hunt for the Bamboo Rat is 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
Under the Blood-Red Sun.
Finalist for:
Nebraska Golden Sower Award
South Carolina Book Awards
"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." --Kirkus Reviews,
Starred
"Fast-paced and compelling, this title will be enjoyed by voracious and
reluctant readers." --SLJ
"The history is fascinating, and Zenji is a fictional hero readers will
long remember." --The Horn Book
