Kyoko is kidnapped in the middle of the night - but by whom? Who has the skill and ability to sneak up on Sensei and slip him a sleeping drug? Sensei immediately knows it is the mark of an old enemy, Lu Zeng, who is an evil and self-important minister of the Forbidden City, obsessed with eternal life. After helping their friends Mei and Du Feng and the other Shaolin Monks to escape danger, Yoshi keeps the whereabouts of the Shaolin monks a secret from Niya, causing a rift among the kids. And it seems Sensei is keeping secrets from his students too. Will these secrets rip apart their trust and prevent them rescuing Kyoko before Lu Zeng performs one of his contemptible experiments on her? With the help of the Lin people, a mysterious group of forest people, the kids learn a valuable lesson about trust and honour, but will they ever be able to leave China and get back to the Cockroach Ryu in the Tateyama Mountains?
Author Biography
Sandy Fussell lives south of Sydney with her husband and two sons. She studied mathematics at university, is intensely interested in history, and now works in IT. Samurai Kids: White Crane was her first novel, with the series continuing strongly. www.samuraikids.com.au. Polar Boy was short-listed for the CBCA book of the year award, 2009. For further information please visit her website: www.sandyfussell.com
Rhian Nest James started working as a freelance illustrator in 1987 having graduated from Exeter College of Art with an Honours Degree in Illustration in 1984. She has produced illustrations for a wide variety of publishers and organisations but her speciality is children's book illustration. Her illustrations have appeared in poetry and nursery rhyme anthologies, folk tales and legends, contemporary and historical literature, lifestyle books, picture books, activity books and educational books. She has illustrated over 60 children's books and contributed illustrations to many more. Rhian moved to Sydney from her native Wales in 2002 and she continues to illustrate for others and work on her own projects.
