Book 2 of 7: Beloved by readers and praised by educators, The Five Ancestors series has received numerous awards from the American Library Association, International Literacy Association, Children’s Book Council, and others for its ability to connect with reluctant readers. The original animal-style kung fu adventure since 2005! More than 1.5 million Five Ancestors books in print! Not a joke. At 11 years old, Malao is the youngest of the Five Ancestors. Master of the monkey fighting style, he’s curious and quick, fast and fun-loving. But now, with the destruction of the temple and the deaths of his older brothers and Grandmaster, Malao the jokester is forced to face things he’d rather not. As he grapples with these new and unwelcome feelings, Malao has an encounter with a dangerous band of bandits, is adopted by a troop of monkeys commanded by a one-eyed albino, and hears tantalizing rumors of a mysterious recluse called the Monkey King, who is said to act, and look, a lot like him…. In this second volume of the Five Ancestors series, Jeff Stone continues the exciting story of five youngsters destined for greatness–if they can only survive! The Legend . . . When China’s Cangzhen Temple is destroyed, only five young warrior monks survive. Each is named after a different animal—Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Crane, Dragon—for each is the youngest-ever master of that animal's kung fu fighting style. The five scatter and begin teaching not only their formidable fighting skills, but also their peaceful philosophy of life. It is said that today's martial arts come from the teachings of these five young warrior monks, who are known in legend as . . . The Five Ancestors . ★★★★★ Monkey (The Five Ancestors, Book 2) My 11-year old enjoyed all the books in the series. Finished them all in very quick time. Now his younger sister has got her teeth into them after hearing him rave about the books. For any parents out there trying to get their children to read over the summer, this series would be a good choice. This review is for all the books in the series. ★★★★★ My son LOVED this book!! My son received this book and Tiger (5 Ancestors) for Christmas. Both he and I read them and loved them! My son is so hard to please when it comes to reading books. And besides the Harry Potter books he doesn't find a whole lot of other books he really likes. He liked these so much that we are anxiously awaiting the release of Snake (5 Ancestors), to be released in March. ★★★★★ Reluctant reader I'm a librarian and I started purchasing this series for my grandson about 3 years ago. Every time I asked him, he hadn't read them yet. I was sure if he started them, he would like them. This fall he had to have a book to read in school that represented his interests so he took the first one, reluctantly (hates to read). He was about halfway through the book when he called me and said,"Grammy, would you mind getting me the rest of the Five Ancestors books? They're awesome!" He's now reading the second one and looking forward to the rest of the series. He's 11, turning 12 in May. I would recommend this series any time for boys who think they don't like to read. ★★★★★ These books are awesome for everyone. I started these books on a recommendation from a librarian who noticed boys of all ages were checking them out. I was having trouble getting my son to read so I tried these. They were a hit. ★★★★★ Five Stars I love these books! An interesting read for all ages. Delivered on time and in perfect condition.