Thelonious Rising

Nine-year-old Thelonious "Monk" DeCay lives in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward with his grandmother. His mother dead, Monk is determined to find his missing father, a once-famous local jazzman.With their harmonicas and bottle-cap taps, Monk and his best friend entertain the tourists in Jackson Square under the watchful eyes of eccentric historian Quinton Toussaint, who seems to know the whereabouts Monk's father.Hurricane Katrina changes everything. Left homeless and alone after the...
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Nine-year-old Thelonious "Monk" DeCay lives in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward with his grandmother. His mother dead, Monk is determined to find his missing father, a once-famous local jazzman.With their harmonicas and bottle-cap taps, Monk and his best friend entertain the tourists in Jackson Square under the watchful eyes of eccentric historian Quinton Toussaint, who seems to know the whereabouts Monk's father.Hurricane Katrina changes everything. Left homeless and alone after the storm, Monk befriends a deranged man and survives by sneaking across the rooftops and courtyards of the French Quarter, stealing food and supplies while hiding from both a murderer and the police. In the midst of the storm and its aftermath, a mysterious woman Monk has never met appears in New Orleans with questions about his future -- and answers about his long-lost father.