Jack is a typical grade school kid... except that he never speaks a word, is followed everywhere he goes by a flying bug, and can turn into any animal he wants, usually to come to the rescue of his family and classmates. Not everybody appreciates his strange behavior, however. When the town's children start disappearing into the forest, though, Jack's special ability is their only hope. Will Jack ever be understood and accepted by those around him? And will the townsfolk come to see the forest as anything besides a danger and a nuisance?

Jack, a little boy with the uncanny ability to turn into any animal he wants, isn't doing so well these days. He's worried about his parents and their money problems, and he's been feeling sick. Then he remembers hearing about a big treasure hidden deep inside the mountain, and he and his friend Gladys embark on an adventure to find the treasure and come to his parents' rescue. But between dragons, nasty little creatures and hunters with evil intentions, that's not going to be easy. To top it all off, Jack has been keeping some secrets that he's going to have to reveal sooner or later, if he doesn't want things to keep getting worse...

When monkeys and apes all over the world start gathering and behaving in increasingly alarming ways, Jack and his friends must embark on a whirlwind trip around the world to get to the bottom of it all. Their mission: to locate the missing Ape-God in order to put an end to the chaos—as well as the destructive actions of humankind that led to these problems in the first place. Luckily, Jack has his own personal flying dragon to help him get around! Another exciting and magical adventure is in store, where young and older readers alike will learn about fascinating animals they never even knew existed!