by Cheng’en Wu

Monk Tang San-Zang is accompanied by four disciples and is set on a journey to to retrieve important Buddhist scriptures from India.

This is a lovely introduction on a reimagined version of a classic Chinese myth. The art itself is vibrant and dynamic and draws the reader right into the story. The language and slang used is modernized quite a bit making this a story that is very readable for a younger audience ( middle grade ).

The story telling is well paced and concise. The story is driven mainly by our main crew of characters, This first part of the story is very driven by the Monkey King and his back story as well as how he fits into the group of disciples and how his past plays apart into what the future holds.

Overall this is a wonderful introduction to a classic Chinese myth. Id recommend this for the middle grade reader. The Manga classics have become a favorite in our home when exploring classic stories with our middle schooler. They are easy to read, inviting, and encourage a whole new group of readers to discover and fall inlove with the classics.