Summer of the Monkeys written by Wilson Rawls (the author of Where the Red Fern Grows) and published in 1976. The book tells the story of 14-year-old Jay Berry Lee, who has enjoyed an idyllic childhood. The child of sharecroppers, his family moves to Oklahoma after his grandfather offers them free land. Daisy, his sister, has a crippled leg, and they devote much effort to gaining enough money to pay for reconstructive surgery. One day, while looking for their lost milk cow, Jay Berry discovers monkeys in a nearby river bottom. He learns that they have escaped from a traveling circus, which has offered a vast reward for their capture: $100 for the chief monkey, "Jimbo", and $2 each for the others. The book relates Jay Berry's attempts to capture the monkeys and claim the reward.
I read this book in fourth grade and remember finding it fascinating. I am looking forward to seeing if any of it holds up to my childhood memories.
I read this book in fourth grade and remember finding it fascinating. I am looking forward to seeing if any of it holds up to my childhood memories.