Skip to main content

THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate



copyright date: 2012
primarily marketed for: young readers (3rd-5th grades)

“In cheering for Ivan and his friends, we cheer for our own humanity, and our own possibilities.  Read this.”
-Gary D. Schmidt

“This beautiful, life-affirming story will soar directly from Ivan’s heart into your own.”
-Kathi Appelt

“A Beautifully written, intelligent, and brave book.  Quite simply, this story is life changing.”
-Patricia MacLachlan

These are the quotes found on the back of this book.  Enough said, right?

Nope.

Even these powerful words don’t begin to explain how special this book is.  I want to purchase this book for everyone I know.  I believe this book is the new Charlotte’s Web.  It is that good.

The One and Only Ivan is the story of a gorilla who is kept in captivity at a highway-side mall/zoo.  His cage consists of glass walls, a jungle mural, and a cement floor.  Ivan’s story is based on the story of an actual gorilla, which just makes it all the more heart-wrenching to read.

The story is told in Ivan’s voice:
It’s hard to put into words.  Gorillas are not complainers.  We’re dreamers, poets, philosophers, nap takers.

Ivan’s main struggle comes from being kept in captivity.  Mostly, Ivan is able to accept the circumstances of his life.  He has friends that include an elephant named Stella, a stray dog named Bob, and young girl named Julia (the caretaker’s daughter). 

However, when a baby elephant is added as a new spectacle, Ivan and his friends start to look at examine their lives through new eyes. 

Although, Ivan wants to do something to change things, his options are limited.  A caged gorilla does not have many resources.  (Although neither did a certain pig and spider we all know and love…)

At times this book is desperately sad, but it is ultimately a book about finding strength in friendship, in stories, in words, and in humanity.  Read this book.
Labels:

Comments

  1. JessWizMarch 19, 2012 at 7:49 AM

    We really DO share a book brain! I just ordered this last week and am awaiting the arrival of my copy with even MORE anticipation since reading your review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 19, 2012 at 11:34 PM

    I want to read it next!-Dalton

    (it took me a whileto figure out how to comet without having to sign up!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. KathieMarch 30, 2012 at 7:02 PM

    You said it was wonderful. I read it. I agreed. I told a kid. He's reading it. And so it goes...one kid, one book at a time, you are changing the world.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TAKE WHAT YOU CAN CARRY by Kevin C. Pyle

copyright date: March 2012 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) Despite the fact that the teacher in me sees so many lesson possibilities in Kevin C. Pyle’s graphic novel Take What You Can Carry , you should read it simply for the grace of its stories.   The artwork is as striking as the stories it tells.   Using artwork in two different colors and styles, Pyle tells the stories of two teenage boys living years and miles apart.   And yet, he communicates the universality in their experiences.   One boy is a Japanese American forced to move into an internment camp during WWII.   His family struggles to maintain their dignity and sense of peace under unbearable conditions. The other is a rebellious boy with an attitude whose reckless behavior causes him to wind up in trouble with the law.   To make amends, he finds himself completing community service hours in the most unlikely place.   I found my...
1 comment
Read more

THE SEA IN WINTER by Christine Day

  release date: January 5, 2021 primarily marketed for: Middle grades The Sea in Winter  by Christine Day is a gift to its readers. It is a book of quiet strength with much to offer.  Maisie is a ballet dancer who feels most herself when she is at the dance studio. However, at the start of this story, Maisie is coping with a serious knee injury that prevents her from dancing long-term. She misses her friends from dance and struggles to maintain those connections when she is no longer part of the dancing life they shared.  When her mom and stepdad plan a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula to visit sites of familial and cultural significance, Maisie stubbornly overworks her healing knee. She is determined to heal and return to the studio  faster than expected. Although her knee is the only focus of Maisie's wellness journey, it turns out there is more to healing than physical fitness.  Maisie is a quietly compelling character, but I was surprised to find myse...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE GREATEST SUPERPOWER by Alex Sanchez

copyright date: January 1, 2021 primarily marketed for: middle grades The Greatest Superpower  by Alex Sanchez is a gem. I was in a bit of a reading slump until I picked up this book, thanks to NetGalley .  This middle grades book is about comic book loving Jorge who is navigating his parents' divorce and his first crush on a girl. Jorge's parents not only announce they are getting divorced, but his father also reveals to Jorge and his twin brother Cesar that she is transgender and wishes to live as her true self.  Although this announcement is a confusing surprise to Jorge, his love for his father ultimately trumps all. Cesar, however, is angry at their dad and works to prevent Jorge from sharing the truth with his friends.  In the midst of the changes in Jorge's family life, he and his friends are trying to invent a new superhero for a comic book contest. When Jorge blurts out the idea of the superpower to gender-shift, his friends jump on board.  Conversatio...
Post a Comment
Read more