Tiger (The Five Ancestors Series #1)

“Tiger clips along at a lightning pace!”—Eoin Colfer

Twelve-year-old Fu and his temple brothers Malao, Seh, Hok, and Long don’t know who their parents were. Raised from infancy by their grandmaster, they think of their temple as their home and their fellow warrior monks as their family. Then one terrible night, the temple is destroyed by an army led by a former monk named Ying, whose heart is bent on revenge. Fu and his brothers are the only survivors. Charged by their grandmaster to uncover the secrets of their past, the five flee into the countryside and go their separate ways. Somehow, Grandmaster has promised, their pasts are connected to Ying’s. Understanding that the past is the key to shaping the future, the first book in the series follows Fu as he struggles to find out more and prove himself in the process. Fu’s name literally means “tiger,” for he is the youngest-ever master of the fierce fighting style modeled after that animal.

Five young warrior-monk brothers survive an insurrection and must use the ancient arts to avenge their Grandmaster.

Twelve-year-old Fu and his temple brothers Malao, Seh, Hok, and Long don t know who their parents were. Raised from infancy by their grandmaster, they think of their temple as their home and their fellow warrior monks as their family. Then one terrible night, the temple is destroyed by an army led by a former monk named Ying, whose heart is bent on revenge. Fu and his brothers are the only survivors. Charged by their grandmaster to uncover the secrets of their past, the five flee into the countryside and go their separate ways. Somehow, Grandmaster has promised, their pasts are connected to Ying s. Understanding that the past is the key to shaping the future, the first book in the series follows Fu as he struggles to find out more and prove himself in the process. Fu s name literally means "tiger," for he is the youngest-ever master of the fierce fighting style modeled after that animal.

Publishers Weekly

In this launch of the Five Ancestors series, a quintet of orphans live at Cangzhen Temple with their Grandmaster in 17th-century China. "Fu ("Tiger") credibly comes through as alternately sympathetic and maddening, true to his adolescent nature," said PW in a starred review, "and the martial arts scenes will keep even reluctant readers flipping through the pages." Ages 9-12. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Jeff Stone practices the martial arts daily. He has worked as a photographer, an editor, a maintenance man, a technical writer, a ballroom dance instructor, a concert promoter, and a marketing director for companies that design schools, libraries, and skateboard parks. Like the heroes of The Five Ancestors series, Mr. Stone was adopted when he was an infant. He began searching for his birthmother when he was 18; he found her 15 years later. The author lives with his wife and two children in Carmel, IN.


From the Hardcover edition.