I really liked the book The One And Only Ivan.
The One and Only Ivan is about a gorilla and his name is Ivan. He
lives at a zoo place that is kinda like a mall. His best friend is a
homeless dog named Bob. He has another really good friend too. She is an
elephant whose name is Stella. One day the owner of the zoo got really
mad because the zoo was not making enough money and Ivan's paintings
were getting old. So the zoo decided to get another animal. They got a
baby elephant named Ruby. When she arrived she would not come out of the
truck so Stella had to help them get her out. Stella hurt her foot a
long time ago doing the shows that the zoo put on. One day Stella's
foot hurt really bad, so the zoo called the vet to come take a look at
it. Later that night Stella made a promise with Ivan, that if she died
he would take care of Ruby and let her go free somewhere and not
be stuck in her cage forever. Stella died the next day. Ruby was very sad.
Ivan kept his promise and he painted a picture that only the manager's
daughter could understand. So she started getting people all over to say
that they demand that the animals be free. One day a truck pulled up
and took the animals away. When they got to their destination Ivan and
Ruby were separated but when Ivan climbed up the tree like a free
gorilla should he saw Ruby free and with the other elephants and at that
moment Ivan knew that if Stella were here she would be proud.
By Karley, fourth-grade reader
AR Level: 3.6
AR Points: 4
Note: The One and Only Ivan is the recipient of the 2013 Newbery Medal for Most Distinguished American children's book.
