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The One and Only Ivan

By: Katherine Applegate BUY BOOK HERE

I have read The One and Only Ivan with every class I have had. It will be a story you and your kids remember FOREVER. Ivan and Ruby and Stella and Bob and Julia steal your heart immediately and the way this story is told from Ivan's perspective makes it one of the most captivating books. Gosh, it's so beautiful and raw and eye opening and powerful.


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 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.


Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create an unforgettable story of friendship, art, and hope.



Captured as a baby, Ivan was brought to a Tacoma, Washington, mall to attract shoppers. Gradually, public pressure built until a better way of life for Ivan was found at Zoo Atlanta. From the Congo to America, and from a local business attraction to a national symbol of animal welfare, Ivan the Shopping Mall Gorilla traveled an astonishing distance in miles and in impact.

This is his true story and includes photographs of Ivan in the back matter.

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