The Five Ancestors

Book 4

Henan Province, China

4348—Year of the Tiger (1650 AD)

Cover of kung fu novel CRANE by author Jeff Stone from The Five Ancestors series.

Drugged.

Wounded.

A price on her head.

And that’s the good news.

Herself. For years, Hok has hidden her true identity from her brothers at Cangzhen. Now, at last, she can be herself. And yet, who is she? Calm and thoughtful, Hok is a crane-style kung fu master carefully attuned to others, but she has never spent much time looking inward. After barely surviving the destruction of two warrior monk strongholds, Hok realizes her old world is gone. She finds her way to the city of Kaifeng and begins a new life.

But her old life intervenes and she must join forces with Fu and Seh to pursue the captured Malao. Their quest takes them to the city of Jinan and into the sinister underground world of fight clubs, where matches are fixed and rules don’t exist. Against incredible odds, the young monks must use their sharp wits to stay together and their formidable kung fu skills to survive.

The fourth book of Jeff Stone’s epic series continues at breakneck speed as four young monks rush headlong into unknown territory and untold danger.

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Awards

· ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

What People Are Saying

Barnes and Noble

"A powerful novel about transitions and resolve.”

School Library Journal · Audio

"Pirates, monks, and the Emperor's henchmen are among the many characters in the fourth installment (Random, 2007) in Jeff Stone's "The Five Ancestors" series set in medieval China. A healer and martial arts expert, Hok is a girl who's been passing as a boy since she was three. Now 12, she's trying to locate missing friends and avoid the authorities who've put a price on her head. Along the way she's reunited with her mother, engineers a prison escape, nurses a blinded companion, and ends up in a raucous fight club. Encounters with resistance fighters and protecting a secret treasure map add to her action-packed struggles. Kiki Barrera's versatile narration ably conveys personalities as diverse as a quiet grandmother and a blaring fight promoter. Unfamiliar Chinese names may confuse listeners, but information on that nation's history and culture adds valuable insights. Hok's Dutch and Chinese heritage also broaden the story's appeal.”

goodreads -Jeph

“Of all the books in the series, Crane seems to get inside the head of its focal character the best. Each book tells the story from a different perspective of one of the main characters, and Hok, the young female Crane stylist tells the story the best. Crane introduces Cheung, the Leopard stylist, Bing, Hok's mother and Charles, a foreign boy who is a crack-shot with pistols. Hok's outsider perspective, being forced to live as a man adds a nice touch to the ever-present charms of the series and the story itself continues to introduce interesting characters while keeping the action flowing, as ever.”

goodreads -Abigail G

“Loved this series as a teen and rereading it makes me see why. Adventure, mystery, reunited family, fighting, and all sorts of other mishaps combine to drag the reader deep into 15th century China.”

goodreads -Laurel

“This volume was probably my favorite of the five so far. It also prompted more conversation from my friend and I. We talked for hours, and predicted so many different theories for this book and the next.”

goodreads -Cassandra

“It was an amazing book! It revealed all about Hok's past and her relationships to her mother. She apparently has a good family. She is a logical person and has two people crushing on her. I recommend this book if you're into kung-fu and a girl.”