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Jeff Stone delivers an action-packed adventure perfect for bike racing fans, readers of the popular Five Ancestors series, and anyone who loves a fast-paced page-turner. Ryan Vanderhausen is psyched. After his mountain biking disaster, he discovers that his size and strength make him a natural for road bike racing. So he and his friends Phoenix, Jake, and Hú Dié head to California to train with Ryan's cousin Peter. But right away, things start to get weird. They hear of experienced cyclists dropping dead, and someone from their past pays them a very unwelcome visit. And then Peter is kidnapped in the middle of San Francisco's Chinatown. Can the kids save Peter, evade the bad guys, and still manage to compete in their biggest race yet?
From the Hardcover edition.
From the Hardcover edition.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
16 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Stone
106 books160 followersJEFF STONE is the bestselling author of the International Reading Association (IRA) and American Library Association (ALA) award-winning, middle-grade, kung fu action/adventure series, THE FIVE ANCESTORS, and its follow-up trilogy, THE FIVE ANCESTORS: OUT OF THE ASHES. Published by Penguin Random House, there are 10 novels in total with nearly 700K copies sold in 14 languages. Audio versions by Listening Library/Penguin Random House Audio. Film rights previously optioned by Nickelodeon and Likely Story.
A veteran writing coach and former college writing instructor with 30+ years experience, Jeff has facilitated more than 150 writing workshops at universities, educator conferences, and K-12 schools on three continents.
Like his main characters, Jeff was an orphan. Unlike them, he was adopted into the very best family imaginable. He spent 15 years searching for his birthmother before finding her. He found his birthfather a year later.
A Detroit native, Jeff is the proud father of an adult daughter and adult son. His former wife is from Hong Kong, where they had a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony in the mid-90’s. His immersion in Chinese culture and shared ethnic experiences with their children informs his writing, as does his training in animal-style kung fu.
In 2005, Jeff traveled to Shaolin Temple in China with ambassadors from the Shaolin-Do Association and was given the HUGE honor of testing for his black belt in Shaolin-Do Kung Fu at Shaolin Temple. His highly interactive, kung fu storytelling school and library presentations are unforgettable.
A veteran writing coach and former college writing instructor with 30+ years experience, Jeff has facilitated more than 150 writing workshops at universities, educator conferences, and K-12 schools on three continents.
Like his main characters, Jeff was an orphan. Unlike them, he was adopted into the very best family imaginable. He spent 15 years searching for his birthmother before finding her. He found his birthfather a year later.
A Detroit native, Jeff is the proud father of an adult daughter and adult son. His former wife is from Hong Kong, where they had a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony in the mid-90’s. His immersion in Chinese culture and shared ethnic experiences with their children informs his writing, as does his training in animal-style kung fu.
In 2005, Jeff traveled to Shaolin Temple in China with ambassadors from the Shaolin-Do Association and was given the HUGE honor of testing for his black belt in Shaolin-Do Kung Fu at Shaolin Temple. His highly interactive, kung fu storytelling school and library presentations are unforgettable.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 31, 2015
Um, I wrote it. :-)
Read
July 5, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Forced drug use
Murder mentioned
Gun violence
Physical assault
Kidnapping
Forced drug use
Murder mentioned
Gun violence
Physical assault
Kidnapping
January 18, 2017
So this book is about three peope named Ryan,HU Die and Ryans cousin Peter Wait almost forgot phonix. They are love bikes and love to practice for bike races and they all have dreamed being in a bike race. They love to see mountains that have trals to go up the it. They are going up to calafornia for a bike race and they are so exsited to go there because they did not know why they were going up there they have to ride a train to get up there which might take longer because plains are faster and trainds go slower inless you are on a electic train which could be posablity, but anyway when they are finished with the train ride they get off with there bikes and take them off to go to the bike race and the bike race is very soon when they get off of the train and they have to rush and when they get there they see the race is about to start and so they hurry up and get in the race and they relise that there is a muntain twords the end of the race and it reminds Ryan that the mountain might be good luck because he loved the mountain and would always make it up it and would alaways practice on them. SO the person waits there to see if everyone is there so he can blow the air horn and start the race so he counts down from 3 and pushes the button and blows the air horn and says GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! They all do good at the begining intill they made it up the mountain and Ryan was feeling really good intill he felt the bike goving over a bump and booooom he fell off his bike and hurt him self........Phonix kept going while Peter stoped to see if Ryan was doing ok. THEN THE RACE ENDED Woooo PHOnIX WON THE RACE BUTtttttt HE DIDENT GET TO TELL RYAN THAT HE WON THE RACE BUT IF YOU WANNA SEE if or if not he told Ryan that he won the RACE you WILL HAVE TO READ THE Book
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THis was made by-Jonathon-Villegas on 1/18/17
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THis was made by-Jonathon-Villegas on 1/18/17
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April 29, 2015
Stone, Jeff Lion (The Five Ancestors Out of the Ashes #2) 240 pgs. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013. $16.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.
Ryan and his best friends Phoenix, Jake and Hú Dié get a chance to learn road biking, a bit of a change from the mountain biking they love. They fly out to California to stay with Ryan’s cousin, Peter, an experienced road cyclist, who isn’t letting a past injury keep him from riding. In the first book Ryan was given a mysterious ancient substance called Dragon Bone. In this book, he is trying to get all of it out of his system, but it doesn’t want to let him go, offering him amazing healing powers and strength. Complicating matters is a bad guy whose very touch is poisoned. When an challenging competition and the kidnapping of Peter collide, its going to be up to Ryan and his friends to race to the rescue.
The book had its cards stacked against it for me. I haven’t read the popular first series by this author, nor the first book in this second series. I dislike biking and really any competitive sports. But Jeff Stone won me over in a major way. This was a fantastic read! I know I am gushing, but it is everything a student could want, adventure, sports, magic, mystery, bad guys, competition, and fun. Did I mention how well written this book is? I simply couldn't put it down. It’s a tad on the guns and violence side, so keep it with 5-6 graders if adding to your elementary collection.
EL, MS –ESSENTIAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
Ryan and his best friends Phoenix, Jake and Hú Dié get a chance to learn road biking, a bit of a change from the mountain biking they love. They fly out to California to stay with Ryan’s cousin, Peter, an experienced road cyclist, who isn’t letting a past injury keep him from riding. In the first book Ryan was given a mysterious ancient substance called Dragon Bone. In this book, he is trying to get all of it out of his system, but it doesn’t want to let him go, offering him amazing healing powers and strength. Complicating matters is a bad guy whose very touch is poisoned. When an challenging competition and the kidnapping of Peter collide, its going to be up to Ryan and his friends to race to the rescue.
The book had its cards stacked against it for me. I haven’t read the popular first series by this author, nor the first book in this second series. I dislike biking and really any competitive sports. But Jeff Stone won me over in a major way. This was a fantastic read! I know I am gushing, but it is everything a student could want, adventure, sports, magic, mystery, bad guys, competition, and fun. Did I mention how well written this book is? I simply couldn't put it down. It’s a tad on the guns and violence side, so keep it with 5-6 graders if adding to your elementary collection.
EL, MS –ESSENTIAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
January 22, 2015
Ryan is determined to beat his dependance on dragon bone, but the weather has other plans. When rain wipes out his usual mountain bike trails, an unexpected opportunity surfaces to learn road biking with his uncle in California. But road biking isn't all that he and his friends find in California. Old enemies, new races, and unexpected ties to ancient China . . .
This book shifts the focus from the cyclocross and mountain bikes in Phoenix to road biking. And the sport is different enough to be an interesting change.
Ryan makes an interesting lead. He's rich enough to not care about money, struggling to keep the friendship of Phoenix and the rest, and suffering from an insatiable need for dragon bone. But dragon bone, much as he hates it, is boosting him to astonishing physical levels. No one's really sure if he can quit, given how much of the stuff he's been taking, but he's desperate for any chance to be free.
Like the first book, this is a fast-paced adventure and an enjoyable read. The only thing I didn't care for was that this group of bad guys also wants to make Phoenix and his friends race for them (exactly like the last book), so that part felt a bit contrived. Overall, though, I rate this book Recommended.
This book shifts the focus from the cyclocross and mountain bikes in Phoenix to road biking. And the sport is different enough to be an interesting change.
Ryan makes an interesting lead. He's rich enough to not care about money, struggling to keep the friendship of Phoenix and the rest, and suffering from an insatiable need for dragon bone. But dragon bone, much as he hates it, is boosting him to astonishing physical levels. No one's really sure if he can quit, given how much of the stuff he's been taking, but he's desperate for any chance to be free.
Like the first book, this is a fast-paced adventure and an enjoyable read. The only thing I didn't care for was that this group of bad guys also wants to make Phoenix and his friends race for them (exactly like the last book), so that part felt a bit contrived. Overall, though, I rate this book Recommended.
October 4, 2014
Lion is a book about a group of 4 teens that decide to participate in a bike race after their normal mountain bike trail is ruined by the rain. The reason they entered the race was because Ryan (the main character) had dragon bone in his body and had to get it out or it was make him deteriorate. Dragon bone is grounded up from the original dragon’s bone, but even when the dragon was dead, the bone and spirit lived on, and those who consumed it had the dragon bone give them special abilities but took away some of the hostess life force or chi.
April 28, 2015
This is a fun series about bike racing with some intrigue thrown in about an extremely dangerous, mythical substance called dragon's bone. I enjoyed getting to know the 2nd young teenager as he fought the negative effects of the dragon's bone that his uncle had forced on him in the 1st book of this series. The friendships forged in the earlier book grow stronger in this new book. I really enjoyed reading it.
August 20, 2016
Not really sure why, but I didn't like this as much as the ancestors series. Maybe I just care less about bikes? So it seemed like the story dragged.
December 8, 2015
I thought it was good because of all the complications but I still like the five ancestors better.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews