REVIEWS
Exciting… Loving… Adventurous… these are some words that help explain The Monkey King's Daughter... ...The Monkey King's Daughter is fantastic and I give this book five stars. —BookTrends.org (December 2010)
Like the Percy Jackson series, The Monkey King's Daughter is a fast paced, adventurous read combining a kid in modern times with the mythology of his or her past. Add in a royal secret background replete with special powers that include impressive hand-to-hand combat skills and hair ornaments that morph into fighting weapons, and you have every kid’s secret Harry Potter fantasy. For girls seeking an Asian version of the Percy Jackson series, The Monkey King’s Daughter by T. A. DeBonis is a fast and fun read. —PragmaticMom.com (September 2010)
"The Monkey King's Daughter" is excellent reading for young people and reinforces ideas of loyalty, honoring cultural authenticity, respectful development and use of special talents, and the virtue of planning ahead (for all events). "The Monkey King's Daughter" is exciting reading with a core of solid values. —Children's Bookwatch (April 2010)
5 out of 5 stars Quite the entertaining read, highly recommended. Some people wish they had extraordinary origins, others wish they were normal. "The Monkey King's Daughter" is the story of Meilin, who soon finds out that she is the daughter of the mythical Sun Wukong. With that knowledge, she finds herself missing the days when homework and boys were the only thing on her mind. A fun mix of classical Asian mythology and a charming young adult read, "The Monkey King's Daughter" is quite the entertaining read, highly recommended. —Midwest Book Review
I am the ELL Coordinator at the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School in Marlborough. Our Executive Director, Barbara McGann, knowing that I am always looking for excellent young adult literature on the topics of language and culture, was kind enough to loan me a copy of your novel, The Monkey King’s Daughter. I wanted you to know that I found it a wonderful read—not just for students of different cultures and linguistic backgrounds—but for all young adults. I especially enjoyed the way you captured issues facing all teenage girls, and the authentic voice of teenagers. Meilin is appealing not just for how “real” she is, though, but how she navigates both the high school scene and culture wars with a core of strength that is reinforced by her heritage. Thank you for the opportunity to experience your novel! We are purchasing several copies to share with our student community.—Cathie Ricci, Ell Coordinator & Barbara McGann, Rear Admiral, USN (Retired), Exec. Dir., Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School
My 8 year old (who has learned Shaolin style kungfu since she was 5 years old and is now learning from actual monks from the Shaolin temple) hasn't found any series she liked after ‘Magic Tree House’ – until I introduced her to your series of books. Now she is quite inspired to practice her staff. —Andrea Chan
I see a strong heroine on the horizon, and applaud T.A. DeBonis for reaching deep into ancient truths to bring today's youth a significant non-violent role model. —Laurie Joy Haas, co-author of Read it Aloud! A parent's guide to sharing books with young children.
Brilliant! Empowering—especially for young girls! With everything that children have to contend with growing up today, The Monkey King's Daughter is exactly the kind of novels they need to be reading.—Fatinha Kerr, Executive Director, MCS-Inc. (May 2010)
I read the book and I loved it! It was so much fun to read. I'll definitely be reading this one to the students in my classroom. —D. Hartman (teacher)
It's perfect for kids between 8 and 12 years of age. The writing is descriptive and very fast paced. And since today's kids like to be entertained, it's nice to know there are good books like this for kids to enjoy. Can't wait for the next one in the series. —D. Mansour
I originally thought I'd read one chapter a night —but I couldn't put it down. I had to read it all. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.—N. Dawson
--------------------------------
