The Lost Mon-ki

Sometimes a big change is just the thing you need to help you decide what sort of person you will become.

Mon-ki is a lowland gorilla, living in the rain forest of Central Africa. He is the son of the Alpha and believes that his high position entitles him to a life of fun and leisure. But when he is separated from his troop on their journey to their new settlement, the young gorilla must make new friends (a honey badger named Hannibal and a shoebill stork named Muuahk). With them in tow, he must decide what is really most important to him: finding his way back to his easy life as soon as possible or putting the needs of his friends before his own.

The Lost Mon-ki is written to be read aloud by children and their parents. As they share in this adventure together, they will wonder if there's a little bit of Mon-ki and his friends in each of them

Michael Terry is the author of "The Lost Mon-ki," a character created by his teenage son, Jonathan. Michael is a charter school superintendent in Texas. He is also a former high school literature and journalism teacher.

He believes in the importance of reading novels aloud to children of all ages. It builds their vocabulary and immerses them in the story, especially if the book contains compelling characters with whom children can relate. "The Lost Mon-ki" is Michael's second novel. The first, Out of the Chrysali", was written as school project with his son.

He lives outside of Dallas where he enjoys watching Spider-man movies and reading books where the characters deal with issues of life and death.