Chris Bradford
“Chris is one of the hottest stars on the book circuit at the moment."
- Mostly Books, Abingdon
Contents
About Chris Bradford
Chris Bradford's School Visits
See Chris Bradford in Action!
Chris Bradford's Books
Samples of Chris Bradford's Books
Recommendations & Reviews
To make a Booking
Download Information Sheets for Schools
About Chris Bradford
Chris Bradford has trained in karate, kickboxing and samurai swordsmanship. He has earned his black belt in Zen Kyo Shin Tai-jutsu, the secret fighting art of the ninja.
Chris's first book, Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior, received six book award nominations, including the shortlist for the 2009 Red House Children’s Book Award, the only national book award voted for entirely by children.
The first of a trilogy, The Way of the Warrior has been published in sixteen languages and is the recipient of the Great Britain Sasakawa Award and Book of the Year at the Fighting Spirit Awards. It has also been published in the United States by Disney and was just recently chosen as one of Puffin’s 70 best ever books!
With the trilogy now complete, The Young Samurai series is officially taking the children's literary world by storm, bringing thirsty readers back to ancient Japan as they follow along the journey of a young British boy turned Samurai Warrior.
The adventure continues with Young Samurai: The Ring of Earth, the first in a new five part series in the Young Samurai saga.
Before writing the Young Samurai series, Chris was a professional musician and songwriter. He has performed for HRH Queen Elizabeth II.
Chris lives in a village in West Sussex, England, with his wife and two cats, Tigger and Rhubarb.
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Chris Bradford's School Visits
We all know how important reading is to a child’s development, but with all the immediate distractions in the modern world it can be difficult to engage young people in the activity of reading.
Chris’ answer is to ‘keep it real’ and show kids how books can live and breathe from the page! With Young Samurai, not only will they read a great action-adventure story, but they can experience Jack and Akiko’s world first hand by participating in martial arts, discussing & role-playing etiquette and language, designing their own kimono, eating sushi and even organising a Japanese festival!
• The Young Samurai visit is an excellent opportunity for interactive and diverse school visit events and seminars for children and adults!
• Young Samurai visits not only entertain students, but will enlighten them as well. For Young Samurai is not just an action-adventure, it is a story of East meeting West and of positive philosophies that can be applied to everyday living.
Click here to see Chris Bradford in Action!• The book is targeted at readers 10 years+, but is suitable for advanced readers 8 years and above.
• Young Samurai visits are suitable for both boys and girls aged 8+ upwards. Events can be used within the curriculum as an aid to teaching English, History, Geography, Language and PE lessons.
The Young Samurai visit offers:
This is the most dynamic of the events and lasts between 45-60 minutes:
• Learn what it takes to become a young samurai at the Samurai School;
• Witness an authentic samurai sword display;
• Listen and watch a dynamic all-kicking, all-punching book reading;
• Understand the etiquettes and beauty of Japanese culture;
• Visit Japan with a video tour from the author’s research trips;
• Q&A and book signing.
For more information from Chris' own website click here
To download a full information pack about Chris' school visits, click here
Young Samurai US Tour 2009 Video
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Chris Bradford in action at the Oxford School of Martial Arts
On Thursday 25th September, 2008, Puffin and the Oxford School of Martial Arts organised a full impact Young Samurai event at the North Wall theatre in Oxford.
An audience of 200 guests watched Chris Bradford and Team Taurus give a spell-binding display of martial arts, samurai sword, readings and videos in celebration of the publication of Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior.
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Chris's Books
**Chris signs all copies of his books purchased by students on the day of his visit.**
The Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior
August 1611: Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan - his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates.
Rescued by the legendary sword master Masamoto Takeshi, Jack's only hope is to become a samurai warrior. And so his training begins.
But life at the samurai school is a constant fight for survival. Even with his friend Akiko by his side, Jack is singled out by bullies and treated as an outcast.
With courage in his heart and his sword held high, can Jack prove himself and face his deadliest rival yet?
The Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword
One year of training in samurai school and Jack is in real trouble…
He’s struggling to prepare for the Circle of Three, an ancient ritual that tests a samurai’s courage, skill and spirit to the limit. At the same time, Jack is caught in a running battle with fellow student Kazuki and his gang.
But these are the least of Jack’s problems. He knows his deadly rival – the ninja Dragon Eye – could strike at any moment. Jack possesses the very thing he will kill for.
Can Jack master the Way of the Sword in time to survive a fight to the death?
The Young Samurai: The Way of the Dragon
Jack is facing his greatest battle yet...
Japan is threatened with war and samurai are taking sides. As the blood begins to flow, Jack’s warrior training is put to the ultimate test.
But these are the least of Jack’s problems. He knows his deadly rival – the ninja Dragon Eye – could strike at any moment. Jack possesses the very thing he will kill for.
His survival - and those of his friends - depends upon him mastering the Two Heavens, the secret sword technique of the legendary samurai Masamoto. But first Jack must recover his father’s prize possession from the deadly ninja Dragon Eye.
Can Jack defeat his ruthless enemy? Or will
the ninja complete his mission to kill the young samurai…
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Samples of Chris Bradford's Books
Visit www.youngsamurai.com for samples of Chris' books and much more besides!
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Recommendations & Reviews
Reviews of Chris' School Visits
“A big thank you again to Chris. I attended an author visit by him and although my students were sat at the back, they thoroughly enjoyed listening to and watching him.
Chris’s books, I'm sure, will continue to capture the imaginations of many children for years to come."
- Sarah Watkins, Year 5/6 teacher, Pangbourne Primary School, Reading, UK
“It was lovely to meet you and you were amazing to watch........your ‘reading with action’ especially! We now have some wonderful insights that we can use to encourage our current and future pupils to read the books and that’s always such a pleasurable thing to be able to do!”
- Pat Clements, Learning Centre Manager, Saffron Walden County High School
“Very good! Informative about all things Samurai and a completely new experience for me.”
- Charles, Year 8 student, Saffron Walden County High School
“Very good! Informative about all things Samurai and a completely new experience for me.”
- Charles, Year 8 student, Saffron Walden County High School
“Really fun to get an insight into the world of Samurai and much more entertaining than other authors!”
- Dotty, Year 8 student, Saffron Walden County High School
“Thanks again for an amazing event. Kids are still buzzing and many of the staff were very impressed both with the content of your presentation and your ability to communicate your obvious passion for the subject. I think "respect" is going to be a mantra around here for a while.”
-Sir William Borlase Grammar (Secondary) School in Marlow (Year 7 and 8), Lee Mumbray-Williams, Head Librarian
“Having read the book over the Summer I feel it is ideal as a class reader for our Year 7 students. As there is an increased focus on texts from other cultures and traditions in the GCSE examinations, we attempt to prepare our students for this by including such texts throughout KS3 as well. There are very many aspects explored in Young Samurai which lend themselves to discussion, enabling us to develop specific Speaking and Listening tasks for formal assessment, as well as numerous opportunities for analysis and as a springboard for creative writing. A really useful teachers’ guide.”
- J. Clarkson, United Church Schools Trust
“Thank you so much for coming in - the children absolutely loved it. They are all enjoying the book - each afternoon following lunch there are lots of Young Samurai covers staring back at me and the children are completely into the book! We'd love to see you again, for your next book.”
- Holy Trinity Primary School in Guildford (Year 5 and 6), Rebecca Anderson,
Head of Year 6
“The feedback from the event has been very powerful and we are especially pleased at the number of parents who report their children are glued to the book and refusing television time, playtime, any time while they are absorbing the story. Many children took the book to school with them for quiet reading and for show and tell.”
- Sensei Mary, Oxford School of Martial Arts
“It was absolutely fantastic. Chris was so engaging. He really reached out to the kids, physically and mentally, as the martial arts really spoke to them.”
- Frances Stott, Learning Resources Centre Manager, Larkmead School
Reviews and Awards for Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior
“Bradford comes out swinging in this fast-paced adventure . . . Jack’s story alone makes for a page-turner, but coupling it with intriguing bits of Japanese history and culture, Bradford produces an adventure novel to rank among the genre’s best. This book earns the literary equivalent of a black belt!"
- Publishers Weekly
• Winner of 'Book of the Year' at the Fighting Spirit Awards
• Added to six book award nominations, including the shortlist for the
2009 Red House Children’s Book Award
• Nominated for the CARNEGIE MEDAL
• Recipient of the Great Britain Sasakawa Award
“Young Samurai is a fantastic adventure that floors the reader on page one and keeps him there until the end.”
- Eoin Colfer, bestselling author of Artemis Fowl
“A great mixture of brilliant story telling, action adventure and learning about a very different culture.”
-Tina Everitt, Waterstone's, Harrods
“An action packed book with death around every corner!”
- Melissa Doolan, Junior Proof reader for Waterstone's
“It is an action-adventure as much for girls as for boys. The hero has a feisty and fascinating female sidekick, and she is no wilting flower waiting to be rescued. She's in the thick of it all. I absolutely loved it and can't wait for Book 2.”
- Cecelia Powell, Editor at Renaissance Learning
“If Robert Muchamore and Bernard Cornwell met over a couple of rounds in a dojo you can begin to imagine the sort of historical all action adventure we might encounter... your new portal to exhilaration, so grab your Wing Chun Butterfly Knife, seize your Nunchucks and take a respectable bow to the new martial master.”
- John Lloyd, Events Manager, Waterstone's, Bath
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To Make a Booking
To make an enquiry about Chris Bradford, or any of the other authors, poets & illustrators listed on this website, please phone Trevor Wilson on +44 (0) 1535 656015, or email him at info@authorsabroad.com
Further information on Chris Bradford is available from the following websites: www.chrisbradford.co.uk and www.youngsamurai.com
Download Information for Schools
The following information is useful for schools to provide to parents. Please download, print out and make copies for the pupils to take home with them.
Young Samurai Event Information SheetInformation Sheet & Order Form for Parents
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