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Book Cover |
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Excerpt |
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Grandmaster turned to Mong and whispered, “Do you sense that we are
alone?”
Seh remained
perfectly still and watched Mong scan the room. Seh was enshrouded in
darkness and positioned at a severe angle from the doorway. He was
certain he was invisible. Yet when Mong’s eyes hesitated as they passed
over the rafter, Seh knew he had been discovered. Mong had sensed his
chi. Seh was about to begin his retreat when Mong turned toward
Grandmaster.
“Yes, we are alone,” Mong said. “Nothing here but the occasional small
pest.” Mong entered the hall and closed the doors behind him.
Seh clenched his teeth. Pest? he thought. Seh wondered whether Mong was
trying to make him angry so that his heart rate would rise and he’d
reveal himself. There was nothing Seh hated more than getting caught
when he was sneaking around.
Seh did his best to stay calm. He needed to stay focused. He suspected
that Grandmaster and Mong were both dealers of secrets. They would trade
them like
other people traded gold for silk or silver for swords. She wanted those
secrets. Especially if they involved him and his brothers–and Seh had a
hunch they would.
“What news do you bring?” Grandmaster asked Mong. “And what might you
require in return for sharing it?”
“I have no new information,” Mong replied. “This visit is purely
personal.”
Grandmaster nodded. “The boys are progressing well,” he said. “I suspect
they’ll all be masters in record time. Though I worry about the maturity
level of some of them. Fu and Malao in particular come to mind.”
Mong chuckled. “I imagine Fu and Malao could be a handful, especially if
they’re together. How is Long doing?”
“Very well,” Grandmaster replied. “He is wise beyond his years.”
“That’s good,” Mong said. “And what about the girl?”
“Hok is progressing well, too.”
Seh nearly tumbled off the rafter. Hok? A girl? He took a long, slow
breath. Mong was trying to break his concentration, and that last bit of
information had nearly done it. But Seh was certain he could remain
calm, no matter what Mong said next.
He was wrong.
“And what about my son?” Mong asked.
No . . . , Seh thought. It can’t be. . . . He swallowed hard as his
heart began to beat in his throat. He couldn’t control it. He glared
down at Mong, wondering if it was a trick.
It wasn’t.
Grandmaster glanced up at the beam. “Seh is also progressing well.
Perhaps too well. I worry about him most of all.”
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Synopsis |
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After the
Cangzhen Temple was attacked
by Ying, 12-year old former pupil of the monks, Seh, who has the
fighting style of a snake, knows he needs to gather information.
Disguising himself as a commoner, Seh runs across a dirty man named
NgGung - meaning Centipede. Seh begins a quest to seek out Mong and
learn who exactly Tonglong is.
When he finds Mong, Seh informs him of
Ying's attack on the temple. Malao, see Monkey,
enters the camp and he and Seh are happy to be reunited. Fu, see Tiger,
soon joins the group and they are sent to go and warn the monks at the
Shaolin Temple that they may also be attacked. On the way to the temple,
they stop off at the bandit stronghold, which Malao does not want to
visit.
On the way, they run across Gao - meaning Dog. With all of the
distraction on their journey, they can only hope that they will be in
time to save their brothers in the Shaolin temple from Ying's wrath.
Snake
is the third book of seven in The Five Ancestors series
written by Jeff Stone. It is a young adult fictional story that takes
place China over 350 years ago. The story revolves around five young
monks all between the ages of 11 and 13 and their special fighting
techniques. The main characters in this series are: Fu - Tiger, Malao -
Monkey, Seh - Snake, Hok - Crane, and Long - Dragon.
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Review |
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I love the way all of
the book in The Five Ancestors series intertwine. Things happen in
Tiger
that are explained in Monkey. Then things
happen in Monkey that are explained in
Snake. I really enjoy all of the different character and the
plethora of fighting styles. Now that the first three characters are
back together again, I have hope that they will find their other two
brothers and be able to defeat Ying and his thirst for knowledge about
the fighting style of the dragon.
Jeff Stone has created a series unlike
any other. There are no video games, no cell phones, no computers, no
hip hop...none of the things that kids love today. After all, the story
takes place in China in the year 1646. Kids should love all of the kung
fu in the story and the very quick pace of the book.
Overall, Snake
is another wonderful addition the The Five Ancestors series and I cannot
wait to find out more about Hok because he, oops...I mean she, hasn't
been seen since the attack on the Cangzhen Temple. I need
Crane
now!
I
rated this book a 9 out of 10. |
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