The One and Only Ivan

Written by Katherine Applegate

Narrated by Adam Grupper

Now a major motion picture available on Disney+!

Inspired by a true story, this is the beautifully written tale of how a mighty gorilla wins his freedom. A winning blend of humour and poignancy that will appeal to fans of Michael Morpurgo.

This #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning novel is coming to the big screen this summer, with a star-studded cast including Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren, Bryan Cranston, and more!

Ivan is an easy-going gorilla who has spent his life performing for the crowds at the Exit 8 shopping mall. He rarely misses life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly thinks about it at all. But everything changes when a baby elephant called Ruby arrives and Ivan realises he must find a new life for them both.

Told from Ivan’s perspective, this is a stand-out novel with a pertinent message, ideal for readers of 9+.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Sep 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9780008378943

Katherine Applegate

Katherine Applegate is the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including the One and Only series, the Endling series, Crenshaw, Wishtree, the Roscoe Riley Rules chapter books series, and the Animorphs series. She lives with her family in Nevada.

Reviews for The One and Only Ivan

[byeol-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Home Is Where the Heart Is
A beautiful tale full of sadness and hope, pulling you down and lifting you up, giving you something to think about life and art, family and home, friendship and loyalty, relationships and loneliness, and last but not least, humanity. I would have liked to know about what happened to Mack in the end, since it seemed to me that he wasn't a bad guy at all, but a good-natured fellow at heart, one with a conscience and just being bogged down by the weight of his financial hardships and unsecured future, desperately trying to find the right thing to do. I would have wished for him to have some kind of happy ending, too.
Else, a moving story with a unique protagonist (possessing a similarly unique voice) and inhabited by a bunch of lovable side characters. A quick read and definite recommendation!

[micahmom2002 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Children's book, Newbury Award winner. Fictional story and cast of characters based on an actual silverback gorilla that was in captivity for 27 years.

[Martelize Faber · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow! What a amazing story. I loved it! Thank you.

[Risha Destianggi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great story, I lovedd it sooo muccchhhhhhh! the narrator just amazing,
the story realy touching and heartwarming

[novalibrarymom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly magnificently written tale of a gorilla, held in captivity at a shopping mall exhibition, who begins to realize there is more to the outside world. Ivan is a story of friendship, compassion, imagination, and survival that transcends the (zoo) animal kingdom to deliver a message to all readers. A must-read.

[Dani · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So interesting and entertaining. I listen to it every night and it always helps me to fall asleep

[thereadingmermaid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very cute.Ivan is a circus performer in the smallest Big Top in the world also known as the exit 8 Big Top mall and video arcade, home of the one and only Ivan, mighty silverback. When newcomer baby elephant Ruby arrives to bring in more customers, Ivan and his elephant neighbor Stella immediately take parental guardianship over her. But when Stella's mangled feet become so infected that she ends up passing away, Ivan is left with a promise he made to her... get Ruby out of there. But how in the world can Ivan and Ruby escape to the zoo? Can they make it and keep his promise to Stella or is it all just a pipe dream?This book is written in a very choppy manner. But I understand why the author decided to do so. it is really geared towards a younger crowd and being written in the way that it does makes it easier for younger readers to follow the storyline. It is written from the point of view of Ivan the silverback gorilla which would also make it very fun for younger readers to try to see through the eyes of an animal.This book brings up a lot of emotion. It is very heavy in the fact that it brings up issues with wild animals and the question of their captivity in to spectrum. It also deals with the actual capture of wild animals itself and how brutal and disgusting it can be. However even though you are faced with these issues throughout the story you are still left with a happy ending. Which I think is best for younger readers.I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were very adorably written and the issues though very tragic made for an even happier ending. Delightfully entertaining. I would definitely recommend it to preteens and up.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Worth the Newbery Medal it won. I had minor quibbles with some of the knowledge Ivan held about the outer world...how would he know how much weight in food a gorilla needs to eat, or how logs drift in a river, or that lakes look bottomless? Mainly though, it's a compassionate and heartbreaking book about the treatment of animals. Hearing it through the voices of Ivan and his friends will give young readers empathy for living things and the predicaments they face. The ending is happy, if conveniently feel-good, but hey, it's a book for kids and they deserve happy, hopeful endings.

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another heartbreaking/heartwarming one, based on the true story of Ivan, the gorilla from a Tacoma mall.
SPL Global Reading Challenge 2016

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a delightful read "The One and Only Ivan" was. It was tender, funny, sad and uplifting. Ivan narrates the story and I smiled at his observations about the humans who watch him. At the same time, it broke my heart being reminded how humans can be so cruel to animals, even when they don't deliberately mean too. Ivan was wise, loyal and intelligent, and I adored him, although Ruby, the little elephant stole my heart as well. The ending made me cry!

[mjt041 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ivan has spent 27 years behind glass of his enclosure in a shopping mall. He has become used to humans watching him. He barely ever thinks about his life in the jungle. When he meets Ruby, a baby elephant who was taken from the wild, he is forced to see their "home" in a different perspective. I think that this book is a great read for students in middle school. I think it would be a great book to read in a ELAR class in a book club.

[usuallee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My daughter made me read this. Not made. Suggested. Didn't take long as it's very short. It's a wonderful book. Really quite sad, but ultimately uplifting. I wasn't too sure 1st person was the best format when the narrator is a gorilla, but the author made it work. I teared up a little in spite of my best efforts.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Children's/Middlegrade fiction. This is definitely a little too grim for younger readers, but 5th grades and up I could see enjoying (especially if they are into books like Hiaasen's Hoot). Katherine Applegate (whom I remember from Animorphs fame as well as the Roscoe Riley beginning chapter books, though she's also written other stuff for older readers) has done a lovely job of creating charming, dimensional characters--though the story, the means to get to the ending, may be a bit too cruel for some animal-lovers.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An approachable look at animal captivity and abuse for younger readers wrapped in a highly engaging story.

[brytniewheeler · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A gorilla, Ivan, tries to remember his past with help from an elephant named Stella. Throughout the book Stella and Ivan try to hatch a plan to escape captivity. This book would be a great book for students as they learn about animals, bi-cultural friendships, and self identity. This book also shows that its better to work as a team than alone.

[carriewuj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Delightful story for kid book club. Ivan is a captive gorilla with an excellent understanding of his tiny world (domain) and an insightful understanding of humans ("Humans waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot.")He also has the ability to communicate with the other animals at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Stella, an elephant and Bob, a stray dog are part of the menagerie and Ivan's friend circle. It also encompasses humans: George, the custodian, his school-age daughter Julia and Mack the owner of the circus. While Ivan was once Mack's "child" and pet, he has now become the main attraction and money-maker for him. Business isn't so good, so Mack neglects Stella's health and also acquires Ruby, a baby elephant to try to draw in more customers. Ivan promises Stella that he will try to prevent Ruby from growing up in captivity, so he needs to find a way to communicate with humans and get Ruby out of the circus and into the zoo. With lots of creativity, intelligence and Julia's devoted help, Ivan comes up with a plan. Sweet and heartwarming, and evocative of Charlotte's Web, the book is a beautiful commentary on humans' relationship with animals and our responsibility to them.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Based upon a true story, this poignant children's novel relates the experiences of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who had lived for twenty-seven years in a small cage, as an attraction at a shopping mall. Taken from his home in Africa as a youngster, Ivan had been raised for a time as a child substitute by a human couple, until he grew too difficult to handle, and wound up at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. Here, in the company of his friends Bob, a stray dog who called the mall home, and Stella, an elephant who was a prisoner like himself, he had grown used to a life in captivity. Then the mall owner (and Ivan's erstwhile human 'father') brought in a new animal, in the form of baby elephant Ruby, and everything began to change. Confronted with a young animal who was not at all used to captivity, Ivan suddenly saw his circumstances in a new light. When Stella died, leaving Ruby truly exposed and in danger Ivan knew he had to do something...My older sister, who is (unlike me) not a children's book aficionado, and who is not the sentimental sort to cry at the drop of a hat, happened to read this before I did, and informed me, a few years ago, that it had made her sob like a baby. I have been ducking reading The One and Only Ivan ever since, despite finding the story idea interesting, and I might still be procrastinating, if the recent Disney film based upon it hadn't given me the impetus to finally pick it up. It is a general rule with me, that if a book has been made into a film or television show, and it is something I might conceivably read in my lifetime, I must read it before watching the film. I'm glad that I finally did do so, and while I didn't have as strong a reaction as my sister, I found it a powerful, thought-provoking read. The best animal fiction can convince you that you are genuinely seeing the world through the eyes of another species, rather than through a human in animal skin, as it were, and Katherine Applegate's book does just that, offering a convincing snapshot of what a gorilla might think and feel, in Ivan's shoes. Such fiction also offers up a mirror to the human condition, and I appreciated the fact that Applegate avoided making any of her humans villains, even if some, like Mack, were deeply flawed and did bad things.The One and Only Ivan was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2013, and it is indeed a beautifully-written book, with passages that stopped me in my tracks. When Ivan reflects that "anger is precious," something that requires energy, and is not to be wasted on everyday matters, it struck an answering chord with me. When he muses on the expressive nature of dogs' tails, which have "meanings within meanings, like human words," I smiled in recognition. And when he states that although human babies are ugly, "their eyes are like our babies' eyes. Too big for their faces, and for the world," I felt that shiver of recognition that comes, when gazing into the face of a stranger and suddenly feeling a sense of connection. I have seen this described as a novel in verse, but while the text is very sparse, with short, one or two-sentence paragraphs (if they can be called that), I did not read it that way. However one interprets the form, it is a lovely book, one which will have young readers thinking about how we humans treat our animal counterparts, and about what those animals, both wild and domesticated, need from us.

[albaarango · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great characters and storyline!Ivan is a silverback (an adult male gorilla) and is nice, easy-going, and friendly. He lives in a shopping mall where he has learned to understand humans, and is content in his simple life watching TV and chatting with the other animals. One day, a baby elephant named Ruby arrives to join the troupe, and everything changes. Ruby awakens memories in Ivan, memories of his past that he had somehow forgotten. And now all Ivan wants is to help Ruby get out of there. Through his art and the support of his friends, he will change their future forever.What I liked: great characters and story! Ivan is totally endearing, and the other characters are unique and fun. The plotline is great and makes you want to read to the end to witness the warmth and happiness you know will come.What I didn’t like: not much. It was perhaps a tad too long, but the chapters are short and the read is quick.Great book.5 out of 5 stars

[snickel63 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is fantastic for any age. I loved how it was written and it had a great premise throughout. I cannot wait for the sequel!

[kayis813-163108 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book made me super happy but also super sad

[constant2m · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a really fun story. I wasn't expecting a gorilla, two elephants, and a dog to all be able to communicate with each other. And although I knew it was fictitious, the teacher who gave it to me said that it was based on a real story, which is completely fascinating. Ivan was great, Stella was smart, Ruby was adorable, and Bob was a crack up, but Julie, the little girl who was constantly slipping Ivan crayons and paper (which he used for art unless he got tired of drawing and then ate them), was amazing. I think it's so cool how children believe that they can communicate with animals. In Julie's case, she believed in Ivan's art to the point that she was able to interpret it and convey the messages Ivan was trying to relay. She seemed incredibly real, which indicates fantastic writing from Katherine Applegate.

[gittel_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My son and I read this book together during our pre-bedtime reading.
I really loved Ivan's story and it brought me to tears at time, and even moved my tough-exterior 10-year-old.

Ordinarily, I dislike overly anthropomorphic animal tales, but this one worked in it's way and achieved its goal of making us feel empathy for animals who are stuck in cages.

[roxiet-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book pulled at my heartstrings. I felt Ivan's plight and was embarrassed by his "human" imposed loneliness. I'll be honest, when Ivan's friend succumbed to financial cheapness, my eyes teared up. It was like a slap in my face--the hands of Man at it again. This is definitely a wonderful read for everyone. The ending brought back my confidence in humanity.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A quick story, but good. I didn’t realize until the end that it was based on a real gorilla who was captured in the Congo, raised by a family in their home, and then kept in captivating for years with no other gorillas. The story is told from his point of view. He is an artist and lives with an elephant and little stray dog.

[robinsonstef · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I read The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate my heart went out to Ivan. As a young gorilla he was taken from the wild, along with his sister, Tag, and brought in a box to America. Tag couldn't take being out of the wild, but Ivan decided to forget all about the wild. Forgetting helped him enjoy TV shows, yogurt covered raisins, and other human treats. It made me think about how hard it would be to be separated from my family and put in a totally different environment. I loved hearing Ivan’s thoughts and his opinions about what the humans were saying. Stella was so sweet, and I felt sorry for her and the pain she had to go through in or order to perform. Ruby enchanted me with her questions and curiosity. I would recommend this book to anyone in fourth grade and up. It is a book about friendship, risks, and thinking outside the box. This book is for anybody with a love for animals, art, or both. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

[chrisblocker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful story that takes place on a farm called the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. On this farm, animals of different species are able to communicate with one another, though they can't talk to humans. One of these animals is Charlotte, an old elephant full of considerable wisdom. And there is Ruby, a curious pig who seeks companionship from the other animals, but is quickly dismissed by all but Charlotte. Charlotte takes Ruby into her care. When the other animals realize that Ruby is being raised for the slaughter, they rally to save her. Eventually, Charlotte reaches the end of her life, so she magically transfers all her wisdom to a silverback gorilla named Ivan. Ivan is very talented: he can spin a web that spans the globe as though he were a giant spider. Despite being an ape who talks with geese, bears, and sheep, Ivan cannot speak to the humans, so he uses the worldwide web to express his concern for Ruby. 'TERRIFIC,' he writes in one. 'HOME PIG,' he writes in another… I’ll stop there to avoid spoiling the story.In addition to the main characters, there’s a dog named Templeton who obsesses over eating… or was it sleeping? He’s there mostly to give a few chuckles to a mostly sad story. Also, there’s a little girl named Julia… or was it Fern? And there are some sheep and a parrot that are mostly in the background, providing a little dialogue or comedy when needed… though it may have been a sun bear and a goose… I get confused.The One and Only Ivan is a wholly original story unlike any other. I liked it.

[cougargirl1967 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow what a great story!

[thewallflower-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Given how popular this book is, I expected more out of it. But it’s just a children’s book about a gorilla and an elephant on display at a mall. And like any kid’s movie with an animals, all they want is to escape the crappy place.The chapters are super short. SUPER SHORT. It’s almost like a free verse poem. Which means it lacks the depth I expected. It’s like one of the terrible 80’s Disney movie that came in a clamshell case, like “That Darn Cat”. The characters are not deep at all. Cardboard cut-out villains and a girl so overly-kindly it’s sickening. Sorry, maybe I’m a bitter thirty-seven-year-old man. But this book was one of those grocery store sugar cookies with more frosting than cookie. It lacks substance. Everyone’s a saint or a villain.I mean, I guess there’s nothing really bad about it. It’s a cute story with talking animals. But there’s nothing really great about it either. It’s saccharine, meant to be sentimental and pull at the heartstrings without having much in consequences or plot points. Funny part is it’s based on a true story.

[decaturmamaof2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

LOVED this book. Sad at times, lovely - including the illustrations. Really makes you feel the story!

Reading this with our first-grader... Oh man, already made me cry a few times.

[montzaleew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The One and Only Ivan is partly based on a true story. It is a story that will make you feel all types of emotions before the book is finished! No, it is not just for kids! I loved it too. Very touching, sad, heartwarming, and read/listen with tissues. Narration was excellent!