Half Brother

Written by Kenneth Oppel

Narrated by Daniel di Tomasso

For thirteen years, Ben Tomlin was an only child. But all that changes when his mother brings home Zan — an eight-day-old chimpanzee. Ben’s father, a renowned behavioral scientist, has uprooted the family to pursue his latest research project: a high-profile experiment to determine whether chimpanzees can acquire advanced language skills. Ben’s parents tell him to treat Zan like a little brother. Ben reluctantly agrees. At least now he’s not the only one his father’s going to scrutinize.

It isn’t long before Ben is Zan’s favorite, and Ben starts to see Zan as more than just an experiment. His father disagrees. Soon Ben is forced to make a critical choice between what he is told to believe and what he knows to be true — between obeying his father or protecting his brother from an unimaginable fate.

Half Brother isn’t just a story about a boy and a chimp. It’s about the way families are made, the way humanity is judged, the way easy choices become hard ones, and how you can’t always do right by the people and animals you love. In the hands of master storyteller Kenneth Oppel, it’s a novel you won’t soon forget.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781441871534

Kenneth Oppel

Kenneth Oppel is the author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and been adapted as an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn won a Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award for children’s literature; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by the London Times. He is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavor, Such Wicked Intent, and The Boundless. Born on Canada’s Vancouver Island, he has lived in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, Canada; in England and Ireland; and now resides in Toronto with his wife and children. Visit him at KennethOppel.ca.

Reviews for Half Brother

[pmlyayakkers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ben's scientist parents bring home a baby chimp to show that chimps can be taught language. At first, Ben is told to treat the baby like a baby brother, and the chimp is treated like part of the family. But the experiment, while seeming successful, does not receive funding, and Ben's father needs to get rid of the chimp - Ben's baby brother.

[kaledrina_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thirteen year old Ben Tomlin has made an involuntary sacrifice, in the hopes that his parents, scientists, will be able to teach American Sign Language to a chimpanzee. The experiment begins with the intention of completely humanizing the chimpanzee, aptly named Zan (short for Tarzan) – Ben is told that Zan is to be his younger brother; his mother even breastfeeds the ape. The Tomlin’s treatment of Zan is to be so purely as a child that “he wasn’t allowed to be a chimp. He had to be a human.” (48)Despite Ben’s initial dislike of the ape, it rapidly becomes apparent that Zan and Ben have the most effect on each other. Ben’s father is too busy designing the experiment to have anything to do with connecting with his chimp son, and though Zan’s mother initially treated the chimp as her own son, she begins to distance herself; her psychology background shining through much more than her role as surrogate mother. Ben is the one who bonds emotionally with Zan, and vice versa; this is shown to have success on Zan’s language acquisition as Ben is the one who initially begins to sign words to the ape, and is the recipient of Zan’s first sign (hug). [Spoilers begin here.] Soon the Tomlins realize that they do not have the manpower to care for Zan as he really needs, and hire a team of students to work with him during the daytime. Peter, a disheveled hippie, is the most focused and dedicated of any of these teachers, and after Ben helps him cheat through the interview, the two become friends. Dr. Tomlin begins to notice the time Ben has been putting in with his chimp brother, and begins to pay him for the work he does, making Ben an official part of the Project Zan team. Despite this new ‘job,’ however, Ben always thinks of Zan as his little brother, and his payment as more of a babysitter’s fee. Ben connects with his brother so easily that he even writes two essays for school using only the words that Zan has been taught, much to the chagrin of his father and teachers. As the experiment goes on, Zan’s language acquisition rate steadily increases, his success apparent to everyone but Dr. Tomlin, even when Zan creates his own words, combining signs he already knows to identify foreign objects. The doctor, who still views spending any time with Zan as being “in the trenches,” grows increasingly frustrated with Zan’s lingering animal behaviors (mostly exhibited in tantrums) and brings a new element to the training sessions – the learning chair. The chair is cold steel, with restraints attached for use when Zan’s behavior is “undesirable.” Ben doesn’t realize how torturous the char is for Zan until one day when he is home sick from school, and rescues his brother from the restraints. At this point it has become unavoidably obvious to Ben that his father never had the intention of treating Zan as a human. Four days after Christmas, the news comes – Project Zan is officially being shut down, and Ben’s little brother has been sold to another lab, and Ben will probably never see him again. [Spoilers end.] Ethical questions are raised all throughout this gripping novel, forcing readers to question animal rights along with the characters in the novel. As Ben realizes, “I guess I’d always assumed humans were more important than animals.” Other Notes: I’m really glad this book started with the chimpanzee being ripped apart from his own mother, even if it was in a lab setting. It took me a really long time to realize that this book took place in 1973 – I thought at first that Oppel was just ignoring other experiments of this kind. Also, I seem to recall Ben complaining that not only will he have to move to a new town and school, he will have to learn ASL – but then suddenly he magically knows ASL without spending any time in the novel telling us he’s learned it. Despite growing up poor, Dr. Tomlin is very snobby and uppity in his new lifestyle as rich-doctor-with-exciting-new-ethically-questionable-experiment – it’s rather annoying, but foreshadows the evolution of his character quite well. I really appreciated Ben’s difficulties in school – the story would have been much more difficult for me to read had Ben been a perfect character that fit in perfectly at his private school, getting amazing grades, all the girls, etc. His ‘disappointing’ performance in school also provides basis for more dissonance with his father, and comparison of himself to Zan. Pages 221-222 broke my heart. Possibly questionable content: Ben’s first new friend after the move to British Columbia shows him a storage freezer full of pornography magazines; also his father’s gun rack. Ben’s mother breastfeeds the chimpanzee as an infant. Ben has a crush on Jennifer Godwin, his father’s boss’ daughter – and rather than think about how beautiful she is, he focuses on her breasts and her legs – the crush is written very deliberately in this way; I’ve never seen that style of writing in a novel before. Ben’s parents frequently give him wine with dinner, and Ben drinks beer at a beach party. Also, copious making out, one session of above-the-shirt groping.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reason for Reading: Oppel is my favourite YA author and I read every new book he publishes.This book is something completely different from Oppel's usual fare and I must admit I was a little leery going in, hoping this wasn't going to end up being a platform for animal rights. I need not have worried; Oppel is an accomplished writer and a reader can be confident that he is going to produce a well-crafted novel that will keep one glued to one's seat.I read this book in one sitting, I was that taken with it. It's a far cry from my usual reading fare as well and I found it fascinating. Ben's father is a scientist and his mother also, though she is still writing her PhD dissertation. The father has a Project where he is to bring a baby chimp into the household and along with a staff of his students raise the chimp as a human, all the while seeing if they can teach the chimp, Zan, to learn American Sign Language and fully communicate with them. At first Ben's not so crazy about Zan, after all they had to move from Toronto to B.C. for his father to work at this new University, but it doesn't take long until Ben and Zan are bosom buddies and more than that, brothers in a real sense.But the Project isn't proceeding fast enough, they are denied the big grant they expected, the University wants more results and soon Ben is fighting for Zan's place in their family and he must risk it all to save Zan from a future worse than death.An incredibly intriguing story. The characters themselves add such tension to the story, the family dynamics shape the conflicts. The dad is stoically scientific, even towards his own son, emotions are not one of his good points, though we pick up clues as to what shaped this man. The mother, though also scientific, is naturally maternal, has a great relationship with her son, and her maternalism flows over to baby Zan. Ben, is thirteen when the story starts and has a whole other side story going on about school, friends and girls (especially). This is also a coming-of-age story for him and there is one particularly interesting thing about his and Zan's development. Zan obviously becomes humanized, mimics the humans and considers himself human but we also see in some ways that Zan's natural chimp behaviour is brushing off on Ben, who has been reading a lot about chimps since Zan's arrival. While Ben plays Alpha-male at school to win friends, popularity and girls, it isn't until an instant when he becomes furiously angry with his father that we see Ben turn chimp.This story is full of humorous escapades created by Zan and others' reactions to him. But this is also a serious story that deals with the ethical treatment of animals. Right from the beginning of the book there are a couple of hints that the story is not taking place in the here and now and eventually we learn that Zan's story is taking place some 30 years in the past. This opens up a world of science that did not have the same ethics as we do today when it comes to using animals in experiments. Oppel does not go all "activist" on us but instead introduces the reader to various practices going on at the time and the scientific reasoning behind the ethics of such experimentation. Then he shows the various types and forms of protest to this treatment and with that goes further to say it was not all in the name of science (make-up testing for example).A well-written, gripping, thought-provoking story, possibly Oppel's greatest book to date. This story may well have some of it's targeted readers looking into animal related careers where they will have a voice in ensuring the ongoing ethical treatment of animals. Myself, after reading this, I feel like sitting down and watching the movie "Gorillas in the Mist" again.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Narrated by Daniel di Tomasso. *SPOILER* Ben's dad is working on a research project involving communicating with chimps. Thus, Zan the chimp comes to live with Ben's family. As the project advances, Ben comes to care about Zan like a baby brother. The project however, ends up not meeting standards and Zan must be released. Ben doesn't want to see Zan end up in a medical testing lab or worse, but his impassioned determination to defy his father and save Zan may make things worse.

[moniica_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: Ben's father obtains a baby chimpanzee as part of an experiment to teach it to learn sign language, with the eventual expectation that it will provide an insight into life as a chimpanzee and the animal kingdom. As part of the experiment, the family relocates to Canada and the baby Chimpanzee ('Zan') is treated as a baby human would be - even being breastfed by Ben's mother on occasions. Ben has to make new friends at his new school, and his parents disagree with some of his friendship choices.My Opinion: This book was a really easy read and I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters and reading about Zan's progress. A lot of themes were addressed in this book - coming of age, family, trust and love to name a few. Yes, there were some minor things that bothered me when reading it, particularly when it came to the Father (*spoiler* it seems a bit unrealistic that a family would obtain a chimpanzee without securing the grant beforehand, and how he was so eager to put the chimpanzee in the seat in the bedroom despite everyone informing him it was going to be a bad idea as Zan did not like to sit, and Ben and his mother often disagree with the father however the father seems to make the final decision of the household. Also he seems to be terrible with managing money, as with the loan aforementioned, and the father selling his Mercedes for only $10k *spoiler*) but I was able to look past these discrepancies and see the book for what it really was - a bond between human and animal, child and baby chimpanzee, and the development of the chimpanzee.The book has stayed with me in my mind for a while - in a good way.

[deborahunderwood-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was very interesting has a good story line and it's kind of comedic also.

[julie10reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ben is less than thrilled that his 13th birthday includes moving across Canada and getting a new "half brother"-a baby chimpanzee named Zan that Ben's father, a behavioral psychologist, will be raising like a human to determine if chimps can learn sign language. Gradually, Ben comes around, learning more about Zan and chimps, but he still struggles with his social life in his new school, his parents' high expectations, and Zan's role in their lives-is he family or just an "animal test subject?" Eventually he becomes Zan's greatest advocate when the project-and Zan's life-are threatened.HALF BROTHER is a young adult cover of the chimpanzee behavioural studies novelised by Colin McAdam in A BEAUTIFUL TRUTH and Karen Joy Fowler in WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES. Oppel's straightforward plotting and everyday language make this story an easy,engaging read not quickly forgotten. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Ben's father's high-handed ways at home with his paternalistic arrogance in his research with chimpanzees. Oppel seems to be saying that there are families where dependent children, like animals,are treated like property. In this light the title becomes even more poignant: is Ben considered half-human by his father until he becomes an adult?10 out of 10 for the cover!8 out of 10 for the book. Highly recommended to all.

[tahleen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After being dragged across the country from Toronto to Victoria, Canada, Ben's thirteenth birthday isn't what one might call normal. You see, the reason he was dragged across the country arrives on that day—a tiny bundle of chimp they name Zan. Ben's parents are planning to experiment and study Zan by teaching him sign language to see if species other than humans can communicate with actual language. At first Ben wants nothing to do with the experiment and Zan, but gradually, as he signs with Zan, he begins to love him as he would an actual brother,—even if Ben's behavioral psychologist father sees Zan as only an experiment. But what will happen to Zan once the experiment ends?

I enjoyed this story. Ben really grows attached to Zan, loves him like a real brother, and it's truly touching to see what lengths Ben goes to in order to protect his little brother. Oppel also brings the serious issues of animal rights and ethical practices in working with animals to the table. This takes place in the 1970s, so there aren't as many concerns in Ben's or his parents' minds, or in the university's that funds the project, as there might be in today's world.

The secondary characters made the book for me. I loved Peter—a hippie-like dude who takes care of Zan in the best ways possible, and who can talk to Ben like an equal. Peter becomes a big ally for Ben, and a champion for getting what's best for Zan. It was also interesting to follow the relationship dynamics between Ben and both his parents. His dad tends to be jerkish and cold, but his mother is kind and gentle with both Ben and Zan, to the best of her ability.

I thought the whole Project Jennifer sideplot was hilarious. Ben has this huge crush on Jennifer, the daughter of his dad's boss, and so (in true scientist fashion) keeps a notebook he labels "Project Jennifer" and takes notes on her likes, dislikes, things he might say to her, etc.

I couldn't figure out it was taking place in the 1970s right away. It took me until after the first CD (or somewhere around there) to figure it out, from some sort of reference to the time. The beginning would have made a lot more sense to me had I known this from the start, since I was bothered by the fact that Ben's parents were just given a chimp like they were. I felt like no one thought about the potential dangers Zan would pose to his caretakers once he wasn't a baby anymore.

As for the audio, it wasn't that great. I felt like it was sloppily produced. It was clear at points that the actor had stopped recording one part and continued later, with a distinct vocal difference. At times it sounded like a different person talking, the difference was so pronounced. I didn't think di Tomasso put much emotion into the performance, and it fell flat as a result.

If the premise intrigues you, I would pick up a copy of Half Brother and read it; skip the audio version.

Disclosure: I got the audio version of this from my local library.

[satyridae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had this book out from the library for months before I could bring myself to crack it open. It seemed so fraught with peril, and I was afraid of it.

It's the story of a young man, the son of scientists, who gets inextricably involved with his parents' experiment around teaching a baby chimp ASL while raising him as a human, or as near enough to a human as to make no difference. It's also the story of a young man falling in love for the first time, and adjusting to school, and dealing with a welter of confusing feelings.

Solidly written, emotionally affecting, and not terribly wrenching. There's no happy ending coming, one can see this from the beginning. The journey is very worth taking, and I think this is a wonderful book for young adults who may not have thought through animals in labs and what can and does happen to them sometimes.

Set at a fairly comfortable (and believable) remove in the early 70s, it's a gripping, well-plotted tale. Some of the characters are pretty black and white, but overall it's nicely done.

[akmargie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Printz contender for sure. Carefully crafted, exquisitely moving, complex emotional characters and a chimp. It's about families and relationships, being human, taking risks, loss and above all love. Tender and bittersweet. Simply amazing.

[smheatherly2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book and learning about how Ben had to come to terms first with having a chimp as a "brother" and then how he realizes how much he cares for him. This is the true testament of if you love something, you do what is best for him/her. Although there are parts that I believe Oppel could have left out due to appropriateness, this was still a good book.

[cammykitty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Brief plot summary - A 1970s family raises a chimp and teaches it sign language as part of a university experiment. Ben, a teen boy, becomes very attached to the chimp, so when the experiment doesn't go so well... Telling you more would be to give spoilers. I wish I'd been in Kenneth Oppel's writing group. I really want to give this book a good rating because of the questions it raises about animal-human relations and animal experimentation. It questions our rights to ask these animals to give up the quality of their lives for our experiments, but it doesn't address this question: How does one test to see if a new therapy for Alzheimers, Cancer, name your disease without the assistance of lab animals? Does the cost to the animals out weigh the benefits to the humans? That said, I still have to say [Half Brother] addresses this issue better than any other YA book I've read. I'd like to give it 4 or 5 stars. Alas, it's 3 star. The parents, especially the father, show an amount of ignorance to modern animal training and behavior knowledge that I find hard to believe. I know I'm comparing 1970s knowledge to current knowledge, which isn't quite fair. The way we train animals has changed dramatically since then. I'm not sure how well known Conrad Lorenz's experiments on "imprinting" was at the time. Lorenz is the one that discovered that an animal "imprints" on the species that raises it. Example: if a cat is raised by a dog, it probably will act doggy and prefer the company of dogs to cats. Oppel uses this information - how the chimp behaved seems accurate - but I'm surprised at what "surprised" the fictional scientists. So, I was already having a little suspension of disbelief issue. The mother is doing a thesis on cross-species fostering, and both she and her husband are well educated and on a career path that relies on reputation. Then the mother does something that could ruin both her and her husband's reputation and career. Sigh. This ruined my enjoyment and general good opinion toward the novel.

[refpenny · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ben doesn’t appreciate having to move house and he isn’t too fussed about the new member of his family either – a baby chimpanzee called Zan. His parents are scientists and want to bring up a chimpanzee as a member of their family to see if chimps can learn language. It doesn’t take long however before a strong relationship develops between Ben and Zan which leads Ben to question what his parents are doing.Set in the 1970s, this is a great story with believable characters and a surprise twist near the end. Thought provoking as well as enjoyable, this book would appeal to readers aged 12 and up.

[christianr_899499 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ben's father is a professor of Psychology and has moved the family across the country (Canada) for a new position that brings with it an exciting addition to their family: a baby chimpanzee, who they intend to raise as a human baby to see how much language he can learn using Sign Language. At first Ben is resentful of Zan, the chimp, but gradually he bonds with him and becomes completely immersed in his care and development. Zan loves to cuddle, tickle, play, and is like a little brother to Ben. Ben comes to realize, though, that his father doesn't really see Zan as a family member but only as an experiment who is disposable when he doesn't feel the experiment is going as planned. Ben learns to stand up for what he believes in and to make some very hard choices when there are no easy solutions.There are a few side stories about Ben's love life that add a lot of length to the novel as well as an exploration of the ethics of animal experimentation. The book is at its best when Zan is the central part of the story, and Kenneth Oppel makes Zan an extremely lovable, fully formed character.

[katrinasoper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book. Im not gonna give a summary, but i think that Oppel definitly brings many family connection ideas to the table. I felt like I could relate to Ben and I loved Zan. I think the ending was a good way of ending it too. I would recommend this book,but not to the crowd that loves action, cause this book doesn't have much. BUt it was Good!

[bplma_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is the mid 1970s and 13 year old Ben has just relocated from Toronto to Victoria-- new school, new friends, new...brother? Ben's parents are scientists embarking on a new project: can our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, learn true language? Zan, a baby chimpanzee, joins the family to be raised as a human within the family. Initially reluctant, Ben gets more and more attached to Zan at the same time he must negotiate the minefields of middle school, social class, love, friendship, and family relationships. off to a somewhat slow start, Half Brother feels predictable and pleasant without being anything special-- at first. But the story and the characters slowly deepen and grow drawing us in with action and drama as well as the deeper philosophical questions of what it means to be human. The ending seems a little rushed. Still--thoughtful and provocative--lots to discuss here. I enjoyed it and recommend it.

[mrwls · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love Kenneth Oppel, but I had issues with this book. It's written for a young adult audience and it raises some legitimate questions about animal rights and about using animals for experiments (even psychological experiments). It is set in the 1970's, though, and some of the issues are no longer as relevant as they once were. For example, no researcher would be allowed to conduct an experiment in his own home with his own family as co-researchers.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ben turns 13 when his family moves across Canada in the early 1970s so his father can start a study to learn more about speech development. An 8-day old chimpanzee moves in and he is told to consider Zan a member of the family. It doesn't take long for Ben to become attached to Zan and he does all the big brother stuff including changing his diaper, feeding him, playing with him, teaching him ASL and making scientific observations (does one do this with a family member?) of his development. Unfortunately, when Zan reaches the age of two, he can no longer live with them and Ben has to sort out his feelings. Is Zan a member of the family? Or just a scientific experiment? How can they raise him as a human and then return him to his own kind?There are many thought-provoking issues in this book centered around animal experimentation. It is listed as a YA book but there are some scenes in this book that might make sensitive people squirm. Lots of topics for discussion!

[lindamamak · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When his parents bring home a chimp as part of their University research 13 year old Ben accepts Zan as his brother. A wonderful coming of age story as we see this young teen struggle through adolescents, his parents issues and accepting a chimpanze into his home.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ben's scientist parents bring home a baby chimp to show that chimps can be taught language. At first, Ben is told to treat the baby like a baby brother, and the chimp is treated like part of the family. But the experiment, while seeming successful, does not receive funding, and Ben's father needs to get rid of the chimp - Ben's baby brother.

[twilightblue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not a bad premise, interesting story line.