The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan

A Newbery Award Winner

Katherine Applegate

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · January 6, 2015

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.

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Who it’s for
A gorilla’s first-person voice brings humor and tenderness to an animal story about friendship and art.
Themes
Unexpected friendship, Art, Hope
Genres
Monkeys & Apes, Friendship, Elephant Stories

About this book

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.

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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!

Art and Friendship

A gorilla’s first-person voice brings humor and tenderness to an animal story about friendship and art.

Come here for

  • A wry, intimate perspective from a gorilla who paints
  • Friendship and art, told with humor and poignancy

Expect

  • First-person narration and illustrated pages
  • A middle-grade story with emotional weight and hope

Where it sits

Monkeys & Apes84%
Friendship65%
Elephant Stories46%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Monkeys & Apes
  • Elephant Stories
  • Zoo Stories
  • Baby Animals
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Art & Architecture
  • The Classics
  • Media Tie-Ins
  • Big Feelings
Authors
Katherine Applegate
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
January 6, 2015
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Unexpected friendship · Art · Hope
Reading lane
Monkeys & Apes