Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
 
Manjiro: The Samurai Who Lived in Two Worlds After surviving a shipwreck, 14-year-old Manjiro is rescued by an American ship and embarks on an extraordinary journey. From learning English to panning for gold, his experiences shape his mission to open Japan's closed borders. A story of resilience and bridging cultures, Manjiro's journey leads him to fulfill his dream of becoming a samurai.
 
2011 Newbery Honor Book

A terrific biographical novel by Margi Preus. - Wall Street Journal

In 1841 a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way.

Manjiro, a 14-year-old boy, is curious and eager to learn everything he can about this new culture. Eventually the captain adopts Manjiro and takes him to his home in New England. The boy lives there for some time and then heads to San Francisco to pan for gold. After many years, he makes it back to Japan, only to be imprisoned as an outsider. With his hard-won knowledge of the West, Manjiro is in a unique position to persuade the emperor to ease open the boundaries around Japan; he may even achieve his unlikely dream of becoming a samurai.
 
STARRED REVIEW
Stunning debut novel. Preus places readers in the young man’s shoes, whether he is on a ship or in a Japanese prison. Her deftness in writing is evident in two poignant scenes, one in which Manjiro realizes the similarities between the Japanese and the Americans and the other when he reunites with his Japanese family.
--School Library Journal, starred review