The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn (Novel)

Rating:
Summary: Exciting Read
Review: I enjoyed Ghost in the Tokaido Inn as well as the sequel The Demon in the Teahouse. The two books make a great set for any mystery/Japanese history buff (regardless of age). I would rate Ghost in the Tokaido Inn as the better of the two since it is more cohesive, but they are both well-written and entertaining.

The Hobblers have managed to catch the flavor of their place and time period: 18th century Japan. The reader is not watching from the outside but experiencing an unique time and culture from the inside. The Hobblers have also managed to avoid "teaching" their knowledge. Their main character, Seikei, is learning about samurai culture at the same time as the reader. This is an excellent technique for imparting necessary information which could otherwise impede the story's movement.

Rating:
Summary: The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
Review: I was very impressed with Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler's knowledge of Japanese history and culture. As a World History, I found this book was a thrill for my students to read. They were hooked on the story, but also learned a great deal about Japanese society and the samurai traditions. I would recommend this book for any teacher trying to explain different cultures and traditions to their students

Rating:
Summary: Columbus Middle School student review
Review: The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy Hoobler
This is a great story about the brave, fourteen year old Seikei who's father is a tea merchant. I loved the mystery of this tale. There was something new behind each page. Seikei desperately wants to be a samurai, but he knows that he cannot for samurai are born not made. Seikei still gets his chance to go on a mission like a samurai when he and his father stay at an inn where a precious jewel has been stolen. Seikei witnesses the crime being committed by a ghost. So Judge Ooka and Seikei follow the criminal in a tale of bravery, honor, adventure, mystery, and revenge.

Rating:
Summary: The Ghost of the Tokaido Inn
Review: The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn is an excellent book. I think Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler wrote a very good book. I think they are good authors.
The book is about a 14 year old boy named Seiki. He dreams of being one of the legedary warriors, but a samurai is born and not made and Seiki is a tea merchant's son. Then a priceless ruby planned for the shogun is stolen and Seiki finds himself having to display all the courage of a samurai. He is the person to have seen the thief, and now the famous samurai magistrate, Judge Ooka, needs Seiki;s help to solve the mystery.
I liked that the book started in an interesting way. THe book contains a lot of action because there is always action taking place in every chapter. Seiki shows lots of courage in the book because he thinks that he's a samurai and a samurai needs to be brave. The ending surprised me because Seiki got what he wanted.
I think the authir's message was that if you want something you have to work hard at it. When Seiki wanted to be a samurai he worked on trying to be a samurai and at the end of the book Seiki got to be a samuai.

Rating:
Summary: THe Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
Review: The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn is an excellent book. I think Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler wrote a very good book. I think they are good authors.
The book is about a 14 year old boy named Seiki. He dreams of being one of the legedary warriors, but a samurai is born and not made and Seiki is a tea merchant's son. Then a priceless ruby planned for the shogun is stolen and Seiki finds himself having to display all the courage of a samurai. He is the person to have seen the thief, and now the famous samurai magistrate, Judge Ooka, needs Seiki;s help to solve the mystery.
I liked that the book started in an interesting way. THe book contains a lot of action because there is always action taking place in every chapter. Seiki shows lots of courage in the book because he thinks that he's a samurai and a samurai needs to be brave. The ending surprised me because Seiki got what he wanted.
I think the authir's message was that if you want something you have to work hard at it. When Seiki wanted to be a samurai he worked on trying to be a samurai and at the end of the book Seiki got to be a samuai.

Rating:
Summary: The unachievable desire
Review: The story is about a 14 year old boy named Seikai who is the son of a tea merchant. He dreams and longs to become a samurai so that he can carry and use a sword as well as write poetry. He and his father stop at an inn where at night there is a robbery from a lord that was staying there. Seikai saw the theif and so he must go on a journey with the judge of the court to find the theif who stole the precious jewel.It just happens that the theif is an actor who travels from place to place. So, Seikai finds them and to gain his trust, he becomes an actor. One day the shogun wanted to see a play,and teh lord who the jewel was stolen from also attends this play. So Seikai and the actors put on a play, which is actually the theif's life and the reason of why he stole the jewel. The Lord reconizes it, and then the theif disgraces the lord by mocking him andslashing at him, then the theif gets killed by the shogun's men.
I liked this book because it's very mysterious and has a lot of family baggage. Foe example, the theif had famiy baggage against the lord and he had said, "I swear I will see you disgraced," when he was wounded by the lord.
I disliked the book because it sort of had some parts where women were putting them selves in a low-class level which was truly disgusting, "He's gone to the pleasure houses, where women are trained from birth to please men."
My favorit part of teh book was when they were giving teh play at the lord's house. Iknew something big was going to happen in any second and was very anxious for it to happen, and when it did I was truly satisfied.

Rating:
Summary: Robbery at a Japanese Hotel
Review: The time is the 18th century, the place is Japan. 14-year-old Seikei wakes up to go on a journey with his tea merchant father. Little does he know that the days ahead will change his life forever and that his impossible dreams are about to come true. All of his life, Seikei has dreamed of becoming one of Japan's legendary warriors, the Samurai. However, Samurai code forbids anyone whose father was not a Samurai from becoming one. Thus, Seikei is doomed to follow in his father's footsteps as a tea merchant, a job that most people, including him, resent. But his life is about to change. On the way to Edo to sell his tea, Seikei witnesses a robbery and is caught up in schemes of revenge and spite. He will meet many Samurai, and will learn much about honor, if he lives through his adventure.

This book was an excellent mystery, probing the depths of honor and the will to seek revenge. I learned a lot about Japanese culture and tradition from this reading. Not to mention, Japanese words and phrases. For instance, Samurai are ordered to kill themselves if they draw their sword in front of their governor, known as the Shogun. All Samurai are the sons of Samurai. The only chance a commoner has of becoming one is if a Samurai who has no son adopts him. Christianity was banned from Japan in the 1700's. In all, it was a good book.