Monkey

Five Ancestors #2

by Jeff Stone

"Berpencarlah ke empat penjuru mata angin dan temukan rahasia kalian. Bukalah masa lalu, karena itu adalah masa depan kalian." Mahaguru telah memberitahu mereka. Sembari melepaskan sulur dan bersalto ke salah satu dahan tinggi pohon elm, Malao bertanya-tanya. "Kenapa Mahaguru hanya menyelamatkan kami berlima? Apa yang membuat kami begitu istimewa?"

Malao adalah biksu pendekar termuda di antara saudara-saudaranya di Kuil Changzen. Dia menguasai kungfu gaya monyet: selalu penasaran, bergerak cepat, lincah, dan hanya tahu cara bersenang-senang. Sekarang, kuil yang hancur dan kematian para saudara dan Mahaguru memaksanya menghadapi kesedihan yang tidak dia sukai. Selagi dia berjuang dengan perasaan asing itu, dia harus berhadapan dengan kelompok bandit berbahaya, gerombolan monyet yang dipimpin monyet albino, bahkan mendengar rumor tentang Raja Monyet, yang katanya sangat mirip dengan Malao...

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure, Childrens

270 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2005

About the author

JEFF STONE is the bestselling author of the International Reading Association (IRA) and American Library Association (ALA) award-winning, middle-grade, kung fu action/adventure series, THE FIVE ANCESTORS, and its follow-up trilogy, THE FIVE ANCESTORS: OUT OF THE ASHES. Published by Penguin Random House, there are 10 novels in total with nearly 700K copies sold in 14 languages. Audio versions by Listening Library/Penguin Random House Audio. Film rights previously optioned by Nickelodeon and Likely Story.

A veteran writing coach and former college writing instructor with 30+ years experience, Jeff has facilitated more than 150 writing workshops at universities, educator conferences, and K-12 schools on three continents.

Like his main characters, Jeff was an orphan. Unlike them, he was adopted into the very best family imaginable. He spent 15 years searching for his birthmother before finding her. He found his birthfather a year later.

A Detroit native, Jeff is the proud father of an adult daughter and adult son. His former wife is from Hong Kong, where they had a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony in the mid-90’s. His immersion in Chinese culture and shared ethnic experiences with their children informs his writing, as does his training in animal-style kung fu.

In 2005, Jeff traveled to Shaolin Temple in China with ambassadors from the Shaolin-Do Association and was given the HUGE honor of testing for his black belt in Shaolin-Do Kung Fu at Shaolin Temple. His highly interactive, kung fu storytelling school and library presentations are unforgettable.

Reviews

[Jeff Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um, I wrote it. :-)

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alkisah ada 5 bocah biksu yg terpencar krn kematian guru mereka oleh mantan murid yg sakit hati yg dikenal dgn Ying, si Elang.

Krn saya blm baca #1 eh malah langsung loncat #2 ini, tp gpp... tidak kurang seru nya koq. Kisah di novel ini ttg Malao, biksu cilik yg lincah, lucu dan gemesin dgn jurus monyet-nya. Kalau kalian suka nonton kungfu thn 80an, pasti ingat Jet Li pas masih imut2 dan lutu2nya. Nah sosok Malao ini mengingatkan saya pada versi Jet Li muda tsb.

Awalnya Malao ini penakut, tapi setelah dihardik oleh kakaknya, dia bangkit dan turut serta membantu mengurus jenazah mahaguru. Mengikuti petualangan Malao yg bertemu dgn monyet putih dan kawanannya benar-benar super lucu dan sangat seru menegangkan, aksi demi aksi yg dihadirkan dlm buku ini. Belum lagi kejahilan Malao kpd kakaknya, dgn memberi ingus atau memasukkan kakinya ke mulut abang seperguruannya membuat saya ngakak. Mirip kejahilan kakak beradik yg rukun.

Saya jadi penasaran dgn buku #1 dan #3 nya. Semoga se-seru buku ini.

[Rif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selesai baca buku kedua itu artinya bersiap melahap buku berikutnya (Snake) dan bersiap untuk nungguin buku-buku selanjutnya yang belum tau kapan terbitnya T_T

-----EDIT-----

Ini adalah kisah yang terjadi pada sekitar tahun 1650 M di Provinsi Henan, Cina. Kisah tentang sebuah kuil shaolin yang tersembunyi, bernama "Kuil Changzen" ---artinya: Kebenaran Tersembunyi. Di dalam kuil itu, terdapat 100 biksu, 5 biksu muda, dan seorang Mahaguru.

Ini adalah cerita tentang 5 biksu muda yang sudah menjadi master shaolin. Namanya Long, Seh, Hok, Fu, dan Malao. Kelima biksu muda itu telah menguasai masing-masing kungfu binatang pada umur belasan tahun. Mereka adalah yang termuda.

Yang termuda di antara kelima master muda itu adalah Malao, biksu mungil yang berkulit gelap. Malao adalah master kungfu gaya monyet yang berumur 11 tahun dan berbeda sekali dengan keempat 'saudara'-nya yang lain:
1) Fu si 'macan' besar agresif yang berumur 12 tahun
2) Seh si 'ular' jangkung penuh rahasia yang berumur 12 tahun
3) Hok si bangau pucat, ceking, dan berpikiran logis yang berumur 12 tahun
4) Long si naga bijaksana yang berotot dan berumur 12 tahun

---

Suatu ketika, Malao uang selalu penasaran, bergerak cepat, lincah, dan biasanya hanya tahu cara bersenang-senang.. dipaksa harus menghadapi perasaan baru yang bernama 'kesedihan'. Perasaan yang timbul karena kematian Mahaguru. Perasaan yang paling asing bagi Malao.

Setelah membaca Tiger, aku dipenuhi beragam pertanyaan: Bagaimana Malao bisa menemukan dan menyelamatkan Fu? Apa yang dia lakukan bersama Hok setelah Mahaguru meminta mereka untuk berpencar ke seluruh penjuru mata angin? Bagaimana Malao bisa memimpin segerombolan monyet-monyet di hutan? Monyet putih albino yang bertengger di pundak Malao itu.. punya siapa?

Dan beragam pertanyaan lain yang akhirnya terjawab di novel ini. Sayangnya, muncul banyak pertanyaan-pertanyaan baru yang bikin nggak sabar baca buku ke-3 (Snake): Siapa ayah Fu? Siapa ayah Malao? Ke mana Hok dan Seh? Apa kabar, Long? >//<

---

Fav. Quote:

"Kau harus mengendalikan pikiran-pikiran dan emosimu, atau mereka yang akan mengendalikanmu." - Hok, mengutip perkataan Mahaguru.

P.S. Entah kenapa ngerasa paling mudah membayangkan Malao.. mungkin karena dari kecil terbiasa lihat kungfu gaya monyet di "Sun Go Kong".

[Novia Indaryani · Rating 4 out of 5]

buku Monkey ini menceritakan bagian petualangan si bungsu, yang bernama Malao. Merupakan kelanjutan dari buku seri pertama Tiger. Masih berlatarkan Provinsi Henan, Cina- tahun Macan.

Malao baru mengetahui bahwa ia adalah seorang keturunan dari Raja Monyet, pencuri legendaris yang biasa mencuri emas dari rombongan penagih pajak.
Malao berpetualang bersama Fu, mencoba untuk mengambil kembali gulungan naskah naga dari genggaman Ying, saudara seperguaruannya yang telah menghianati kuil Changzen tempat ia berguru dulu.

Sepuluh hari kemudia Malao dan Fu berhasil bertemu kembali dengan saudara perguruannya Seh di kuil Shaolin. Namun ternyata mereka telah terlambat, karena kuil Shaolin sekarang telah dihancurkan oleh pasukan Kaisar.

Lalu ia bertemu dengan Tsung, biksu Shaolin yang juga seorang penghianat. Tanpa didunga pasukan Ying pun muncul.

Namun Malao, Seh dan Fu berhasil mengambil tiga gulungan naskah naga. Mereka kabur.

Disana Malao pun baru mengetahui bahwa Hok sebenarnya ada lah perempuan. Seh, kakaknya telah lama mengetahui rahasia itu.


Dibuku ini banyak kebenaran yang dibuka.
Mulai dari kenyataan tentang ayah Fu, mimpi masa lalu Ying dengan ayahnya dan Mahaguru, Siapa itu Tonglong? Siapa sebenarnya Mong? Dan masih banyak lagi.

Langsung ngebut baca buku ketiga. Padahal UTS didepan mata.

Ayo baca buku serial The Five Ancestor. Sumpah keren sangat ceritanya.

[Aelvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malao, the Monkey, can't sit still when the temple where he's spent all his life is destroyed. But he doesn't have the strength to confront his enemies directly, so he does what a monkey does best: makes trouble. But as he's trying to save the Dragon scrolls and foil Ying's plans, he starts uncovering secrets . . .

The second book in this series takes the unusual tactic of being more of a companion novel than a direct sequel. The events here start exactly where Tiger started, but it all plays out from Malao's perspective (and quite a bit of Ying's). Since the gaps from the first book, where Fu was off on his own, are generally places where Malao was involved, the gaps for the most part are filled in. But it is good the plot stretches beyond the end of Tiger and takes the boys farther on their quest.

The strengths of the first book are equally strengths here: complex characters, a twisting plot, furious kung-fu. And this starts to broaden the story to the rest of the world, dropping some nice hints about certain relatives as well as laying a foundation for what looks to be an eventual plot against the Emperor.

Given where this goes, you could almost start at either Tiger or Monkey, so it's not too important if you haven't read the first book yet. But it's a fast, fun read. I rate this book Recommended.

[Tim Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is beautiful, inspiring, culture. The mind of Jeff Stone that is what is, this man single handedly takes us into the life of Cantonese Monks. We follow Malao a young monk from the Cangzhen temple Malao was the name given to our main character after he was taken in by Grand-master as a very young orphan. Malao means monkey in Cantonese, and this is exactly why grandfather named him this. Grand-master trained Malao up along with his other adopted brothers in various fighting styles such as The crane who is Hok, The snake which is Seh. The tiger who is Fu. However one of the boys who grand-master brought up and raised, takes a terrible turn for the worse.One of the brothers does not agree with his training after growing up. In fact he hates the mastr for rasiging him this way and so he begans a journey to make the master pay. By killing him and hunting him down. I liked this book alot very visual very action packed. This really was a god read. I suggest you read them in order starting with Tiger the first, and you can go from there. Thanks for reading;)

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow kisah Malao sang master ilmu Kungfu Monyet bisa di bilang berjalan paralel dengan kisah Fu. Malao yang ceria dan selalu usil akhirnya harus menghadapi pahitnya kenyataan hidup yang harus di hadapinya. Dia tetap berusaha menyikapi musibah ini dengan tawa dan sikap easy going, sementara otak cerdasnya berusaha memahami semua detail dan mengungkap rahasia di balik penyerangan kuil Changzeng.

Buku ini agak emosional dan penuh kejutan ( fakta baru tentang Hok si bangau hohoho). Malao dalam perlariannya belajar memahami banyak hal di luar latihan kungfunya selama ini, misalnya tentang perasaan. Beberapa hal misteri di buku pertama terjawab di buku ini tapi juga menimbulkan misteri baru yang membuatmu tak sabar untuk melahap buku ke-3 tentang si cerdik dan pemikir, Seh master kungfu Ular.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each one of these get better than the last. Well, maybe not. Thay are all great. This is a continuation of the Jeff Stone series of The Five Ancestors. It's about a bunch of monks that live in a temple and learn different styles of kung fu from their master. Each one of the monks have to go through their own personal journey to find out about themselves and about a mystery. Read them, you'll enjoy them.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series continues to be fun!

[Lacy Dohner · Rating 2 out of 5]

When his temple home is attacked and Grandmaster killed, Malao flees into the jungle. There he has a series of adventures, living on the run from the murderous monk Ying, doing battle with a band of outlaws, and befriending a mysterious white monkey. He is reunited with some of his brothers, and together they work to steal back the Dragon Scrolls from Ying. But the farther the boys venture into the world outside Cangzhen Temple, the more mysteries they uncover-- some of them about their own pasts.

I found this book very poorly written. The writing was stiff and filled with way too many cliches, and the characters were not believable. I get that Malao is the youngest and most mischievous of the brothers, but why is he always giggling at inappropriate times? Also, the jokes about Malao's bad-smelling feet-- and even problems he solved by sticking his feet in people's faces!-- became way too redundant. I will not be reading the rest of this series.

[Nicole Xue]

it all starts when a monkey named Seh and a tiger named Fu and a snake named Tong long were just sleeping in there cave. when a loud BOOM was settled of to make a fire in the forest. Seh, Fu, and Tong long were trying to escape, but they couldn't get out. They found 3 large buckets filled with water so they dumped it on the fire. They saved the forest. Fu and Tong long went to sleep, but Seh stayed awake because he knew what was going to happen. Master Ying was going to make a fight soldiers vs Seh. Seh had to fight then himself, but he deafeted them, but he got a lot of blood and scraches on him. Fu and Tong long woke up and saw what happened. They just went to sleep.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #2 centers around Malao (monkey). After a quick look into what he was doing during the events of book 1, we follow Malao as he tries to stay ahead of the evil Ying and meet up with his brothers. He has connected with 3 others and they come in contact with fellow warrior monks who could possibly be relatives of theirs. Tonglong, Ying’s number one, is seeming to be more of an ally to them than to his own boss which confuses the boys. Another short, action packed installment.

[Abigail G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A favorite childhood series that is still good. The overlapping stories don't get boring as they progress over the same scenes because each character has such different perceptions of the unfolding events.

[Kellyn Stinnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I remember this being my least favorite book out of the series when I read this as a child, and that is still true as I re-read this now. However, I still liked the book and am incredibly excited to continue on with the series.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book of that series. Looking forward to reading the other ones sometimes.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very interesting book is about five ancestors surviving many adventures. It has a lot a sadness when somebody dies, suspense throughout the book, and joy when they complete missions.

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

continuing the adventures of 5 young monks...

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A direct continuation from the previous book, so there's not much I can say without spoiling the story. I will say this: I'm totally hooked. Excellent series.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

the road to self discovery continues for the 5 boys... trying to find safety... and self knowledge...

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In really enjoying re-reading this series. The action is great. I’m not a fan of how the narratives overlap from book to book, but maybe it gets better as the books go on.

[Vyaan Shah]

I love these short, intertwined tales.

[Ira Booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lanjutan seri The Five Ancestors. Saya membaca buku pertamanya, Tiger, pada akhir tahun 2013. Sudah lama sekali ya. Pantas saya sudah hampir lupa dengan ceritanya. Untunglah saya masih ingat sedikit-sedikit, hahhah.

Ceritanya tentang sebuah perguruan biksu pendekar bernama Kuil Changzen yang diserang oleh biksu pembelot. Tidak tanggung-tanggung, Ying, nama si mantan biksu tersebut, melululantakkan Kuil sampai tidak ada seorang pun yang tersisa. Namun perkiraan Ying sedikit meleset. 5 master biksu muda terhebat berhasil melarikan diri. Setelah di buku pertama diceritakan tentang pelarian biksu muda pertama, Fu yang jago kungfu macan, sekarang di buku kedua giliran adiknya, Malao si master kungfu monyet.

Nah, sama seperti Fu yang tingkah lakunya mirip macan, tingkah laku Malao juga sangat mirip monyet. Malao sepertinya juga mempunyai hubungan khusus dengan para monyet. Di sini, misteri-misteri yang ada di buku pertama mulai sedikit terungkap. Kalau di buku pertama saya dibingungkan dengan identitas si pemabuk dan komandan no. 1 Ying, Tanglong. Di sini mulai diungkapkan siapa mereka berdua walaupun masih berupa dugaan Malao. Yah, sifat Malao yang selalu ingin tahu ada gunanya juga :D

Sama seperti di buku pertama, di buku kedua ini ending-nya juga gantung. Terus kalau soal gaya kungfu saya rasa lebih keren kungfu-nya Fu. Tapi kungfu gaya Malao lebih aman. Soalnya prinsip Malao adalah kalau bisa kabur ya kabur saja, haha.

Btw, cerita ini mengingatkan saya sama cerita Kungfu Panda. Memangnya sejarah cerita kungfu selalu seperti ini ya? Ada 5 gaya kungfu inti, terus ada yang iri pengen dapat ilmu kungfu naga dan orang yang iri ini berusaha merebut gulungan yang berisi ilmu kungfu naga dan membuat kekacauan.

At last, saya mulai suka dengan seri ini. Semoga nanti serinya diterbitkan semua. Kalau tidak salah baru tiga buku yang diterjemahkan ya? 3 dari 5 bintang untuk Malao. I liked it :)

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Monkey better than Tiger, the first book in The Five Ancestors series. The dialogue seemed a little better, and Malao is, frankly, a more pleasant character to be around than Fu was. His mischievous personality made him a fun character, and when paired with Fu it served to soften Fu's sharp edges.

So far in the series, though, I am having a hard time accepting Fu and Malao at least as Kung Fu masters. These boys seem to have little self-control, very little discipline, and very little regard for caution. They are often reckless and leap head-long into dangerous situations. On the other hand, I realize that this is a book written for children, and kids want characters that they can identify with. If you've got an 11 or 12 year old acting with the wisdom and self-knowledge of an adult, then that doesn't make the character too believable or too relatable to a kid, does it? In fact, it makes that character pretty boring.

The slamming of the female gender was toned down considerably in this book, although it did rear up once or twice. Still, that grated less in this book because of some developments that I can't discuss without spoliers.

I am enjoying the way in which these books build upon one another. Events carry over into the book featuring the next character, and slight shifts in perspective are executed. Once events that the monks shared in common are looked at from the "new" character's perspective, the story picks up again and moves forward with that monk in the lead position. It's an interesting device, and allows a reader to perhaps become more familiar with each character more effectively than they could if only one book tried to hold all of their personalities and stories. On to the next book for my literary martial arts fix.

[Anna Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fascinating in how it takes what was a secondary character in the first book of this series and makes him the protagonist. The author does a wonderful job switching points-of-view so that parts of the first book where both Fu (the protagonist from book #1) and Malao (the protagonist from this book) are present repeat from a different perspective. Stone's writing style is very active and visual. I could easily see this series being made into movies.

This book also opens interesting questions to keep readers intriged enough to want to continue in the series. There are mysteries like:
What side is Tonglong really on and why?
How did Seh get the bandits to accept him?
Will Malao ever meet the Monkey King, and is that his father?

The reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is that I think it may be difficult to completely follow on its own. I did not feel lost because I had already read the first book in the series. However, as an independent book, it skims too quickly over the massacre at Cangzhen temple. Some readers may feel lost before they even get started.

Overall, though, this is a well-done book. I highly recommend it for people who are already reading the series. Also, reluctant readers and martial arts fans are likely to enjoy this tale.

[Hobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books “LIMA LELUHUR 2 - MONYET”
Judul Asli : THE FIVE ANCESTORS 2 - MONKEY
Copyright © 2005 by Jeff Stone
Cover Ilustrations copyright © 2005 by Richard Cowdrey
Penerbit Teen@Noura [ Penerbit Noura Books ]
Alih Bahasa : Sujatrini Liza
Editor : Ida Wajdi
Proof-reader & Lay-out : Putri Rosdiana, @kaguralian, Nurhasanah
Desain sampul : Fahmi Ilmansyah
Ilustrasi Isi : Malia Hartati
Cetakan I : September 2013 ; 270 hlm ; ISBN 978-602-9498-29-5
Rate : 3.5 of 5

Kelanjutan kisah petualangan lima orang master Kungfu, yang memiliki kemampuan unik, meski masih berusia sangat muda, mereka merupakan siswa pilihan Kuil Cangzhen – cabang Kuil Shaolin yang dirahasiakan dari pengetahuan khalayak umum. Mereka yatim-piatu dan dibesarkan oleh sang Mahaguru, diberi nama yang cukup unik, dalam bahasa Kanton yang tidak lazim digunakan oleh penduduk sekitar. Bocah-bocah yang dikenal sebagai Long (Naga), Seh (Ular), Hok (Bangau), Malao (Monyet) dan Fuk (Macan). Dalam buku pertama, pembaca diajak menelusuri perjalanan Fuk, hingga ia bertemu kembali dengan Malao, bahu-membahu melawan Ying – mantan siswa Kuil Cangzhen yang membelot sekaligus pemimpin utusan Kaisar yang menumpas seluruh penghuni Kuil hingga rata dengan tanah.

more about this book, just check my review at here :
( http://my-fantasy-readings.blogspot.c... )

[Jaylen Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malo is a monk from the Cangzhen Temple which was recently attacked. Him and his brother had escaped the temple but Malo found himself alone with no one but him self. He was instructed by the grand-master to discover the secrets of his past. Malo is a monk with the style of a monkey and while he is the type that like to have fun, nothing is ever simple for him. He goes and this journey also teaming up with his brother Hok and a surprise from his other brother Seh not only to stop who did this horrible thing but the search his past.

I didn't get to read the first book of this series so im sure im missing alot from the whole story but I love this book. I love adventurous themed book and this book displayed that well. Reading this journey that Malo is going on even though he's a young immature monk is interesting. It shows how certain situations can force a young child to grow up faster than he wants to due to a tragedy.

There wasn't really anything that I didn't like about this book, but I feel like if I would have read Tiger I would have understood the story more. After reading this book I really want to buy the whole series and read each and every book. I would recommend this book to teen boys who like stories about monks or adventure books.

[Mirrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I don't read the books in order and I don't have to. Each book has its own version of the characters' history, told through their eyes, and they all come together as one unit once you have completed them. I would highly recommend reading them in order, however, just because that is probably the best way to enjoy the story of the young monks.

I don't know how the author manages to make these stories so suspenseful and action packed, but I am not kidding when I tell you the fighting scenes keep you tense as you read them. I often found myself having to relax when I had finished reading a fight scene because they are written so well they sweep you up into the action. All of a sudden you realize your neck is tense and you are sitting forward, devouring every word, ready to have someone jump out of the book at you. It is just so well done it is almost unbelievable. I can see how young readers who enjoy martial arts would love this series. Parents be ware, I consistently read these books in one sitting, so give it to your child in the morning so that they will come when you call them for dinner. I don't think they would be able to put it down in order to come to the table.

[Ursus · Rating 3 out of 5]

11 year old malao splits up from his brothers after the battle that happens earlier that day. He has lost his grand master and is now alone to survive. Later he goes back to the monk temple to retrieve his grandmasters body with the help of his brother crane. The plan was to bury the grandmasters body in the hollow tree but other things happen. There wasn't any words I didn't recognize. You need to follow heart and do what you believe, its your life and your choices. The only opinion that matters is your own. I didn't like how the book was so short but it still contained a lot of detail. Even though the plot and story isn't to original it is an ok book.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A year had past since it read Tiger, but the book had always staying fresh in my mind because I liked it so much. Finally, when I received a copy of Monkey, I couldn't wait to start reading it. And, boy oh boy, was I truly happy that I did. The story takes up right where Tiger ends, but just changes its main character from Fu to Malao. With Fu, he was always so serious. I liked the whimsical Malao and his stinking feet a little better.

Jeff Stone has created something quite special in his The Five Ancestors series of books. The books are incredibly fun to read and kids, especially boys, will love these books. I know I grew up watching Bruce Lee and loving martial arts movies. Kids today love the same thing, which is why I think they will eat this series right up. I also like the fact that each book focuses on a different monk with a unique fighting style and that the story takes place in 1650 AD.

Overall, Monkey by Jeff Stone is another excellent book that I highly recommend for all readers. I am very excited to read the next book in this series entitled Snake.

I rated this book a 9 out of 10.

[Jeph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Ancestors: Monkey was a decent continuation of the story started in Tiger. Jeff Stone continues the story of the five brothers from the point of view of Malao, the constantly giggling monkey Kung Fu stylist. An interesting aspect of the storytelling in the series is that each book begins at a certain point in the previous book, but from a different character's point of view, and continues from there.

The high point of this book in the series, as well as all of the continuations from book 2 and beyond is that, now that the plot has been established in Tiger, Stone begins to add character development and plot twists. Monkey begins to flesh out it's characters and begins the interweaving family and ally ties that prove to be one of the most entertaining and ensnaring aspects of the series.