by Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao Costa (Illustrator)
Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he's seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it's up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan's unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope. Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal
The One and Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate's books include the Roscoe Riley Rules, The Buffalo Storm, and the award-winning novel Home of the Brave. With husband, Michael Grant, she wrote the series Animorphs. Katherine was inspired to write The One and Only Ivan after reading about the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, the Shopping Mall Gorilla. The real Ivan lived alone in a tiny cage for 27 years at a shopping mall before being moved to Zoo Atlanta. Katherine lives in California with her husband and two children.