Kiki Lon

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

Jade Ascott. Student...environmentalist...aspiring criminal scientist...sole white member of her Chinese family.

The mystery begins when Jade receives an unmarked white envelope. Things get even stranger when Jade's grandfather asks her to look into the disappearance of his parrot, John Wayne, and decides it's time to train her in Kung Fu.

Combing the streets of Chinatown for clues, while trying to balance crime-solving with school, training, and two super-cute boys requires every bit of skill Jade can muster. But will she be able to unravel the mystery of the Jade Monkey before it's too late?

I'm glad this was a review book since I might have given up had it not been. It took roughly fifty pages before the story captured my interest, but once Ms. Lon finished detailing Jade's backstory the mystery gained momentum and kept me furiously flipping the pages until the end.

Though I would have liked a little more interaction between Jade and her parents, the close relationship she had with her maternal grandparents was sweet and refreshingly portrayed. Jade is a hip, fresh young heroine who possesses spunky initiative in spades, and I look forward to reading future tales of her Kung Fu crime-solving adventures.… (altro)