Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls (1992-02-01)

This book is full of humor. I found myself giggling aloud as I read about the various tricks the monkeys play on the boy. I won't give the story away. It's an easy, enjoyable read. My ten yr old daughter also enjoyed it.

My son was disappointed to learn than Rawls has only this book and _Where the Red Fern Grows_. It's hard to find books he loves as much as these two. He is 11, and his tastes lean more toward Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and other very different books. But there's something real and sincere and very "boy" about these stories that appeals to him.

This was for my daughters fourth grade reading assignment and they were going over it and many of the books were missing chapters! Don't know how that could of happened. But very upset! Other than the chapters missing the book is good. My daughter seems to like it.

I purchased my daughter's required English books at the beginning of the school year. This month, it was time to read Summer of the Monkeys. As she's started reading, we've discovered problems with the book. Chapters 9-11 are MISSING and Chapters 12-13 are REPEATED. Unfortunately the deadline to finish the book is immiment so we cannot exchange or reorder the book. BEWARE - this book was purchased from the store, not a 3rd party seller. I didn't realize this could happen. From now on, I will inspect every single book upon arrival!!! the store should credit me for this book

Good plot and funny parts but totally ruined by inappropriate chapters.

In short, young boys are introduced to drinking for the first time as it is glorified when the monkeys encourage the main character to get drunk…he does.

Also a chapter on parents telling young boy to kiss girls.

Book works well for public school and Disney, but not for parents who know that getting drunk and sex before marriage ruins life and want avoid putting these sins in a positive light, as this book does.

As a stand-alone movie, this was a mediocre movie at best with what appears to have been a very low budget. As the supposed movie version of the book, it was just plain awful. My 6th-grade class read the book for literature and loved it, so they were excited to see the movie this past Friday as part of the festivities celebrating our last day before Christmas break. To say this movie was a disappointment is a vast understatement. Every single student just sat there dumbfounded at how unlike the book it was. Seriously, it barely resembled the book at all! Worse, the personalities of the characters were completely changed (for the worse)--so much so that my students were actually angry. I am sorry I ever purchased this movie, and will not be showing it to future classes as I had hoped to be able to do. I would not recommend it for anyone hoping for anything resembling the book, which we all enjoyed immensely. What a letdown.

Wilson Rawls (author of WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS)has done it again, in this delightful tale of a poor family from rural Oklahoma in the early 1900's. Fourteen-year-old Jay Berry Lee lives through incredible events and a rollercoaster of emotions as he comes of age, during one unforgettable summer near the river bottoms in former Cherokee territory.
Much more than a kid-and-his-dog story, this book will make you chuckle and groan with frustration, as Jay and his smart-as-a-coot Grandpa wrack their brains to catch some 30 monkeys which have escaped the circus after a train wreck. Lured on by the generous reward offer, Jay becomes obsessed with trapping the little fellows--in order to achieve a country boy's dream of his own pony and .22 gun. But those simian rascals prove too human-savvy to be caught; time and again they outsmart the best laid plans--all because they are protected by a fiendishly clever chimpanzee.
Then there is Jay's twin sister, Daisy--crippled since birth. Nevertheless she is always cheerful, has a way with animals, tells great stories and teases him mercilessly. Woe to all who fall under her nurturing care, as she dons her Red Cross "uniform" and goes into high nursing mode! Hey, is there really an Old Man of the Mountains, who can cause good or bad luck to a family? This is a warm and fascinating read about setting goals, not giving up easily and the value of family relationships. For kids of all ages, especially if you believe in Fairy Rings...

Years ago, a friend recommended I read "Where the Red Fern Grows" to my 6-year-old son. At the library, it was checked out but "Summer of the Monkeys" was by the same author and it sounded cute, so I checked it out. Oh, what a delightful surprise that became a favorite, so much that we read it once a year. A few years later, he took it to school for his teacher to read...the last I knew, the teacher was still reading it to his students nearly 20 years later. It is one of the best books I ever read to him and I highly recommend it for children and adults alike.

A homeschooling mom introduced this book to me as "delightful." Having grown up reading "girl" books, I was definitely interested in this one for the boys. What a sweet and truly delightful read. Perhaps some haven't liked that this book is about a slower and simpler lifestyle, perhaps they just can't relate. I'm an avid reader and enjoyed it thoroughly (once I cracked it open; the title really didn't seem appealing) but I'm not a child so I can't say if your child will enjoy it. I know children have enjoyed it, though, and am sure mine will too. What values. Side note: I looked for an older copy of the book and found it (one without the Disney motion picture on the cover).

I read this wonderful classic each year to my third grade class. We are actually on page 200 out of this 290 page book.
My students begin each day wanting to know, "Are we going to read now? Will we be reading soon?" The story ending always brings tears which is a true sign that we all enjoyed the story...That is what TRUE reading is for me as a teacher...laughter, tears, and screams coming alive from the written word.

Jay Berry is your typical country boy. With his faithful, bluetick hound dog Rowday, Jay Berry delights in roaming the creek bottoms near his home in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. His happy, carefree life takes a sudden turn when he and Rowdy meet up with a troop of escaped circus monkeys out in the woods.

Eager to get the reward for catching the monkeys, Jay Berry enlists the aid of his "old, slow-movin', boy lovin'" grandpa. Together they hatch up some unique plots for capturing the devilish little beasts. But they find out that the monkeys are smarther than they thought -- maybe even smarter than they are.

You'll find yourself laughing out loud at the antics of Jay Berry and his animal friends. But you may also find yourself shedding a tear or two as Jay Berry learns a lesson that shatters a lifetime dream.

In my opinion, Wilson Rawls has written the perfect young adult novel. The mixture of humor, love, family relationships, adventure and magic make for engrossing reading. There is literally never a dull moment in theis wonderful book.

This is a wonderful story for readers of any age. Jay Berry's dreams of catching the wiley monkeys and winning the reward money combines delightfully with his various escapades in attempting to catch them. If ever a book can be rip-roaring hilarious and heartwarming at the same time, this one is it. This story also has some positive themes in it - the importance of family and working hard for what you want, and the ending (I won't give it away) is absolutely perfect.

The only complaint I have about this story is that, although Daisy and Jay Berry are supposed to be twins, their behavior doesn't quite match up to their ages. While Jay Berry acts very much like a fourteen-year-old boy, Daisy acts more like a ten-year-old. How many fourteen-year-old girls do you know who have a play house, have imaginary friends like the Old Man of the Mountains, and play nurse - complete with the outfit?

Other than that, I think this is one of the best stories I've ever read, and it certainly makes a fine addition to any home library.

I thought the book was very interesting and descriptive. Summary-The book is about a 14 year old boy(Jay Berry) who has a dog named rowdy. They live on a farm with Jay's parents and his grandfather. The family is poor but survives. One day Jay and rowdy were out playing on the farm and heard a shriek. They saw a bunch of monkeys and went back to the farm house and Jay told his grandfather all about it. His grandfather told Jay that they were circus monkeys and worth quite a bit of money if caught. Jay was very interested becuase he wanted to save up and buy a .22 rifle and a pony. Jay asked his father if it was ok if he attempted to catch the monkeys. Both of his parents were against the idea but Jay was able to convince his mom to let him do it. For his next birthday Jay got a net to catch the monkeys with given by his grandfather. Jay went out and tried to create ideas that he was sure would catch some monkeys. But he was never able to catch any, because the monkeys were too smart for him and his obstacles. This among one of my favorite books because is always leaves the reader wanting to continue reading more and more from the excellent writing of Wilson Rawls.

Summer of the Monkeys

Have you ever thought of trying to catch a $100 monkey for free? Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls is about a boy named Jay Berry Lee who goes to his grandfathers shop for some errands. His grandfather tells him about these circus monkeys in the forest. The theme of this book is that Jay Berry Lee is trying to raise money by catching the monkeys and giving them back to the circus. He tries to raise money for his sister because she twisted her leg at birth.

When Jay Berry goes to his grandfather's store he tells him how the monkeys got to the sycamore trees. And the reason is that this circus train de-railed and the monkeys got loose. He says that about 30 monkeys got loose. One monkey, the smartest of all of them costs $100.

Jay Berry Lee is a very adventurous and smart kid. This book Summer of the Monkeys is a historical fiction novel. I recommend this book to readers who like books taken place in the old times. Readers who like stories with kids and animals should read this fascination novel.