The Master Puppeteer

In famine-stricken 18th century Japan, a 13-year-old boy named Jiro, the clumsy son of a poor puppet maker, becomes the apprentice to Yoshida, the master of the Hanza Puppet Theater. As Jiro works to learn the art of puppeteering, he must also strive to please the seldom-satisfied Yoshida. Jiro's work is disrupted, however, when he sets out to discover the true identity of Sabru, the mysterious thief who robs from the rich and gives to the poor--and who seems to have some sort of connection to the Hanza Theater. Will Jiro's investigation put his life, and the lives of the others at the Hanza Theater, in danger? This work of historical fiction includes detailed information about Japanese theater as well as about life and culture in 18th Japan.