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Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Book Review: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: January 2012
Pages: 320
Source: Library
For: Fun

Ivan was the star of the show at the Big Top Mall for years, until one day he's not anymore.  He's been in his home of glass walls for long enough that he doesn't even mind or miss his home in the jungle.  He's got his friends, Bob the dog and Stella the elephant.  But when a new baby elephant comes to their home, Ivan begins to see things in a new light.

Things I Liked:
What a bitter sweet little book this is!  I loved the story of Ivan and yet it made me cry.  He had so much going for him and yet he was stuck in a dreadful place.  I absolutely fell in love with him and Stella and Ruby and even some of the human characters.  I was very happy that none of the "villains" was painted in a way that they were 100% evil.  I think it shows very nicely how people sometimes don't think clearly and that is how they end up doing horrible things without meaning to.  I just loved how hopeful the ending was, though we had to experience all the sorrow to get there.  A beautiful story made even more beautiful by its basis in reality.

Things I Didn't Like:
Hm, not much I can think of that I didn't like.  Just simple and sweet (and sad).  A great read for animal-loving tweens and younger.

Read-alikes:
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none
though there is some cruelty to animals

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

8 comments :

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I loved it, even though I'm really not an animal person. It's just a lovely story (though bittersweet) and you're absolutely right -- it did a good job of showing how complex people's personalities and motivations are.

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    Replies
    1. Definitely I'm not an animal person, but I loved the story anyway. It's nice that it was short and sweet.

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  2. Agreed! I was surprised how much it affected (or is it effected??) me by the end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hm, I think it's affected :) Such a little book to pack such an impact!

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  3. been seeing this around, but maybe I will pick it up after all.

    ~L

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I hope you do! It's short, so it shouldn't take more than an hour to read.

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  4. Oh no... for some reason my weakness is monkeys in bad situations. First movie I cried at was Mighty Joe Young. I can't even say what a disaster the latest King Kong movie was. This looks like another absolute cryfest (but adorable!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh you'd definitely cry in this one if monkeys are your weakness :) Though, some of the sadness comes from the elephants too!

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