The One and Only Ivan
A Newbery Award Winner
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4.5 • 159 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning novel The One and Only Ivan is now a major motion picture streaming on Disney+
This unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendship. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated book is told from the point of view of Ivan himself.
Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.
In the tradition of timeless stories like Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create an unforgettable story of friendship, art, and hope.
The One and Only Ivan features first-person narrative; author's use of literary devices (personification, imagery); and story elements (plot, character development, perspective).
This acclaimed middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 8, for independent reading, homeschooling, and sharing in the classroom.
Plus don't miss The One and Only Bob, Katherine Applegate's return to the world of Ivan, Bob, and Ruby!
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Based on a true story, Katherine Applegate’s Newbery Medal–winning novel has the emotional impact of a melancholy song you can’t stop listening to. After hearing about a gorilla named Ivan who spent 27 years in a dirty cage inside a mall, Applegate imagined what the ape might have thought and felt during that time. Ivan is a poetic, philosophical narrator—his observations about his human visitors and animal neighbors (a wise elephant and a scrappy stray dog) manage to be funny, tender, and heartbreaking all at the same time. Though The One and Only Ivan may sound like a bummer, it’s ultimately an uplifting read with tons of heart. That’s because the story shows us how a spirit of creativity and the power of friendship can alter your reality.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Inspired by a true story, Applegate (Home of the Brave) offers a haunting tale told from the perspective of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who has been confined to a small "domain" of concrete, metal, and glass for 27 years. Joining Ivan at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade are Stella, an aging elephant, and Bob, a feisty stray dog. While other animals perform, Ivan makes art, watches TV, and offers melancholy assessments of their situation. When Ruby, an inquisitive baby elephant, arrives and Stella dies from neglect, her dying wish is for Ivan to help Ruby escape. The brief chapters read like free-verse poetry, the extra line breaks between paragraphs driving home the contrast between Ivan and humans, who in his opinion, "waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot." As is to be expected, there's significant anthropomorphism, but Applegate is largely successful in creating a protagonist who can understand humans yet feels like a gorilla. Although Ivan's role in the events leading to their rescue reads as too human, readers will be left rethinking our relationship to animals. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8 12.
Customer Reviews
The One and Only Ivan
Sweet and moving story about a gorilla finding a home.
The one and only Ivan
I read a sample of 33 pages and knew immediately that it was the best book I have ever red in my life. Thank you for writing this book
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