Books with author Erik Christian Haugaard

When the powerful Lord Takeda’s soldiers sweep across the countryside, killing and plundering, they spare the boy Taro’s life and take him along with them. Taro becomes a servant in the household of the noble Lord Akiyama, where he meets Togan, a cook, who teaches Taro and makes his new life bearable. But when Togan is murdered, Taro’s life takes a new direction: He will become a samurai, and redeem the family legacy that has been stolen from him.

On his own in the teeming city, orphaned Saru learns to survive. He begs, steals, and fights for what he needs. He finds danger in bandits and street gangs, charity in tentative friendships with a priest and a cook’s young daughter, and comfort from his little cat, Neko. But Saru trusts no one, until he meets a samurai and agrees to help in the rescue of his wife, held hostage in the castle. How can a street urchin and a lone warrior prevail

It's 1643, and almost a year has passed since King Charles raised his standard at Nottingham and turned all England into a battlefield. For the orphaned boy Oliver Cutter the army of Parliament is now his home, and the struggle of his hero Oliver Cromwell's forces against the King has become his life. Though he is only 13, Oliver is Cromwell's trusted messenger. Two things make him invaluable to Parliament's cause: he can ride like the wind, and he knows how to hold his tongue. Thus it is that Oliver goes about his business, a boy spy in the camps of determined men, trusting his life to his wits and his horsemanship.

An American Library Association Notable Book and his first book for children, Erik Christian Haugaard’s Hakon of Rogen’s Saga is a remarkable novel that perfectly catches the mood of a harsh but heroic people. Set at the end of the Viking period, it tells of a young boy, Hakon, from the island of Rogen who, after his chieftain father is murdered, undertakes to reclaim his birthright from his treacherous uncle. The illustrations by renowned artists Leo and Diane Dillon make this captivating story come alive.