Red Samurai by Tiffiny Hall

Roxy Ran series. Harper Collins, 2013. ISBN 9780732294540.
(Ages: 8-12) Recommended. Action. Adventure. In the Red Samurai, Roxy Ran is the protagonist and narrator. She is a thirteen year old ninja who stands up to the school bully while crushing on her sister's ex-boyfriend. Her life mainly revolves around a ninja fighting the samurai. When Roxy becomes the White Warrior she's excited, nervous and scared. This isn't helped when her older sister Elecktra starts acting strange and using unnatural powers in public. Suddenly Elecktra is whisked off to the Cemetery of Warriors - another world - without any warning or training. Things just get harder and harder for Roxy as the days go on. The big showdown that was expected comes along, ending the book with an enthralling fight. All in all, the Red Samurai was an interesting book that I thought was perhaps aimed at 8-12 year olds. This book really forced my imagination to work as the sequence of events opened out in front of me. It was really action-packed with almost every chapter including a riveting fight scene. It was unusual in that it included battle and combat, but also included a romantic and feminine feel to the story. This is the second book in the trilogy by Tiffiny Hall which meant that some things mentioned confused me, so I would recommend reading the trilogy in order.
The Red Samurai was a thought-provoking book about teen problems such as bullies and secret crushes. This book conveys them in a way that's fun and suspenseful for pre-teens.
Jude Mills (student)