The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate – Book Review
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate with Illustrations
by Patricia Castelao was a surprising hit recently with our book club. From our
youngest member, at 6 years old, to the elementary kids, the young teen, and
even the parents all were enthusiastic and excited for our discussion. It was
one of the most positive responses we’ve had to any of our titles so far.
I believe it works so well for so many different ages and
people because it has subtle layers. The story is told from the point of view
of Ivan, a gorilla who lives in a roadside mall arcade attraction. He doesn’t
like to remember things, and so he doesn’t dwell too deeply on any of the
issues or events that come up, but for all the simplicity of how events are
told, there is still an emotional power to them.
For our youngest member, it was a straightforward story of
Ivan and his quest to keep a promise. For the older members of our group, we
could see beyond the simpler story to the bigger internal struggles that many
of the characters fought with as Ivan describes their actions.
Another aspect that gave the book an additional level of interest
is that Ivan was a real gorilla. He did in fact live at a roadside animal
attraction, was originally captured with his twin sister, and spark the
community to work for his release to a better home. Although I believe, the rest
of the actual events of the story are fictional. The real Ivan eventually was
moved to the Atlanta Zoo where he lived out the rest of his life. The zoo
website has a nice page about his life: http://www.zooatlanta.org/ivan
