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The third book that I read is called Shipwrecked!  It is about a boy named Manjiro who travels on a boat with his two brothers and their friends.  The boat crashes and forces them to live on an island.  Manjiro ends up going to America by himself.  He discovers many things in America that are different from things in Japan.  For example, he learns that women do not use paint or powder on their faces and that when a young man wants to marry he just picks a wife for himself without having a "go-between" find one for him.  An American man tells Manjiro that he was never going to see his family again. 

Manjiro ends up getting back to Japan safely, however, and marries a woman.  This was a true story, but I did not like it because it was kind of confusing.  I do not recommend this book because it was boring.  I rate this book a "2".

Spring 2003