Sam Samurai #10 (Time Warp Trio)
Between hightailing it down the Tokaido Road, eluding a hot-tempered  samurai named Owattabutt, and trying to fix their malfunctioning  Auto-Translator, the Time Warp Trio may never get out of 17th-century Japan  alive. Especially with all those razor-sharpkatanas poised and waiting  to lop off their heads.Joe, Sam, and Fred were working on a haiku homework assignment when they somehow  triggered the mysticalBookagain, only to find themselves--thanks to  some nearby books on Japan--summarily "flushed down four hundred years" and far  from their native Brooklyn. And even if they can overcome the language barrier,  our time-hopping pals will soon discover that they need to learn a thing or two  about Japanese culture if they want to make it out alive. ("Our daimyo is Rudy  Giuliani," while hilarious, isn't going to cut it.)Jon Scieszka's traveling companions are in fine form, as ever, alongside the  occasional illustration by Adam McCauley. Readers should love learning about  ancient Japan with the boys, and Time Warp Trio fans in particular will get a  kick out of the fact that a certainothertrio--do you remember any  great-grandaughters from the year2095?--ends up saving the day.  (Ages 8 to 11)--Paul Hughes--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.