Tiger - Five Ancestors, Bk 1 Author:Jeff Stone Twelve-year-old Fu and his temple brothers Malao, Seh, Hok, and Long dont 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... more » 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 Yings. 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. Fus name literally means tiger, for he is the youngest-ever master of the fierce fighting style modeled after that animal.« less
As a grownup, this book didn't do anything for me. It was like reading an action comic, and beginning it in the middle. I didn't finish it. Might be different for a ten year old...
This is interesting but rather childish. Not young adult so much as young teen. The characters are aged 12-16 and while being warriors are still young children and act that way. The storyline is interesting: the young warriors each have an animal "spirit" and a kung fu fighting style similar to that animal. Tiger, monkey, snake, dragon, eagle and crane. The eagle (Ying) has left the temple a year ago disenchanted with the master. He returns in this book to destroy the temple, to kill the master and to steal the sacred dragon scrolls. Fu (the tiger) is determined to stop him. This is book one of five and an intriguing start even though childish. I'm not sure whether I will continue this series or not. I guess it depends on whether I can get further books cheaply.