Shadow Warrior, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi. Illustrations by Celia Krampien. Annick Press, 2017. $14.95 ages 10 and up

"Thirteen-year-old Aki, thin and barefoot, hovered in the doorway of her thatched-roof hut. She stared up at the samurai warriors, their armor marked with Takeda Shingen's personal crest. As the sun rose behind them, they seemed to glow. It was as if other worldly creatures had appeared on the dirt road through her village. One of them wore a bow ... "Blending fiction with history, the talented Ms. Kyi introduces her audience to feudal Japan in the 16th century when only men were considered to be trained as ninjas. Wanting to follow in her great grandfather's footsteps, Chiyome must prove herself worthy of such training. Her grit and determination, in the face of strong resistance and more stringent training, impress her male classmates and her teachers. She proves herself worthy of  her Ninja status.
 
To her dismay, she arrives home one day to find she has been promised in marriage to the nephew of Takeda Shingen, a ruthless and powerful diamyo. Her future is set, with marriage to a samurai warrior. When he dies in battle, and after waiting for a respectable period of mourning, Chiyome proposes a new method of warfare to Takeda. She will travel Japan seeking worthy young orphan girls who show the character of a ninja, and train them to be shrine maidens as well, assuring their ability to be close enough to soldiers to learn secrets and attack plans. All that she achieves is tantamount to success, and succeed she does.
 
The engaging text is accompanied by striking artwork that lends authenticity to the story told, using an ancient and modern blend of Japanese images. It is a beautifully designed tale.
 
The subtitle, Based on a true story of a fearless ninja and her network of female spies, says it all. Not everyone is convinced that Chiyome was a real person. She is the stuff of folklore. In an epilogue, Ms. Kyi makes a case for her historical significance:
 
"Mochizuki Chiyome was probably real. In the 1600s, Japanese writers created storybooks, the ancestors of today's graphic novels. Some of these tales featured a woman ninja trainer, a widow who lost her husband and went to work for his uncle, training spies in an undercover school."
 
In additional back matter, a glossary provides understanding for Japanese terms used, further readings are listed and a resource list provided.