White Crane by Sandy Fussell

Niya Moto is the only one-legged Samurai kid in Japan, famous for falling flat on his face in the dirt. The one school that will accept him is the Cockroach Ryu, led by the legendary sensei Ki-Yaga. He may be an old man overly fond of naps, but Ki-Yaga is also known for taking in kids that the world has judged harshly: an albino girl with extra fingers and toes, a boy who is blind, a big kid whose past makes his loath to fight. A warrior in his time, Ki-Yaga demands excellence in everything from sword-fighting to poetry. But can the rag-tag Cockroaches make the treacherous journey to the Samurai Trainee Games, never mind take on the all-conquering Dragons? In a fast-moving, action-filled tale that draws on true details of feudal Japan, Niya finds there's no fear they can't face as long as they stick together - for their friendship is more powerful than a samurai sword. Niya Moto is the only one-legged samurai kid in Japan, famous for falling flat on his face in the dirt. None of the samurai schools will teach crippled Niya, until an offer arrives from the legendary samurai warrior Ki-Yaga, sensei of the Cockroach Ryu. Niya and the other Cockroaches must defeat the fierce samurai students from the Dragon Ryu at the Samurai Trainee Games. Though they seem to be at a terrible disadvantage, it's not long before they learn that if they stick together, there is no journey that they cannot complete, no fear that they cannot face, and no battle that they cannot win.

Note: the formatting of this mp3 audiobook is mp3-cd. This means it will only play on computer systems with CD-ROM or DVD drives or CD players that are equipped to play mp3-cds. It can however be cloned from a home pc to an mp3 player like an iphone ipad sony rockbox ipod sandisk or similar player.

White Crane by Sandy Fussell