Missing Monkey!

By Mary Amato and Ward Jenkins

When their parents steal a monkey from the zoo to help them pick pockets, our heroes rush into action and return the wily animal using disguises, inventions, and old-fashioned shoe leather. They also learn what a monkey can do in 11 minutes: 1) Stick his fingers in your right nostril. 2) Lick your eyebrows, pick his teeth, and then wipe his finger on your shirt. Giggles and guffaws will be the result of anyone reading Book One of Good Crooks.

Author Mary Amato is a star of state master and children's choice lists and returns to the age category of her popular Riot Brothers chapter book series with this funny, silly new series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781606844038

Mary Amato

Mary Amato is an award-winning children's and YA book author, songwriter, and poet who lives in Maryland. Her books have been translated into foreign languages, optioned for television, and produced onstage.

Book preview

The Cops Are Coming

This is it, my dad said. The back door to the Chicago Bank.

The cops are going to be here any second, my sister added.

The three of us were dressed in black turtlenecks and our sneaky black caps.

You guessed it. My dad is a robber. So is my mom. Ron and Tanya Crook. They want my sister, Jillian, and me to follow in their footsteps.

Dad handed me a sharp metal tool. Slide it into the lock and jiggle it until the lock pops open.

I slid the metal pick in and jiggled it. My face started to sweat.

You look scared, Jillian whispered.

I was going to say, You look like a baboon, but that’s the problem with having a twin. If I tell her she’s ugly, I’m not doing myself any favor. We both have the same freckles, the same big ears, the same knobby knees, and the same giant feet.

The only thing that’s different about Jillian and me is our pigtails. She has two and I have three. Just kidding, I buzzed my pigtails off last year and gave them to pigs without tails. Just kidding, I’ve been pigtail-free all my life.

Focus, Billy. Think of all that money we’re going to steal, Dad whispered.

I pictured us running out with bags of cash, and then I pictured the bank owners coming in to find an empty safe. They would be so sad.

WHAT?????? I’m a Crook. Crooks shouldn’t think about how sad the bank owners will be!

I glanced at my dad. He was bouncing on his toes. His ten little piggies were happy just thinking about money.

A thought dropped out of my brain: I do not want to rob any more banks. I want to do something nice for a change!

I dropped the pick. What was happening to me?

Suddenly the door opened and a beam of light hit us.

A tall guard lunged at me. I ducked, and the guard grabbed my dad. Got you!

This is it, Dad cried. The end of our Crook ways!

Good going, bro, Jillian said.

The guard laughed and turned on the lights. He wasn’t really a guard. He was my mom. We weren’t really at the back door of the Chicago Bank. We were at home, taking a test on lock picking. And the bank door was our closet.

Mom took off her hat and fluffed up her spiky black hair. Billy, did you practice?

I didn’t have to say a word. My bright red face did all the talking.

No bacon on your burger tonight, she said.

Yeah, Dad said. Jillian, you take a turn. Then we’ll make Billy do it over till he gets it right.

I held out the pick to my sister.

Keep it, Jillian said. I invented a new lock opener. She

Reviews for Missing Monkey!

[jwitt33 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twins Billy and Jillian are raised to be good crooks, but instead want to be good people. They have to sneak around to do this, and that is part of the fun of this book. When they go to a zoo to help clean it up, their parents follow them there and think that the twins are there to steal a monkey, since they believe, as well all know, monkey see, monkey do. Cue the fun hijinks as our heroes try to figure out what to do about this.I thought this was a really fun book that will appeal to elementary school students and will keep them interested in the story. I think they will like the illustrations as much as the story.5/5 stars.I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.