LS5603 - Poetry2: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. Illus. by Patricia Castelao. HarperCollins Publishers: New York, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-06-I99225-4

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

[Excerpt from the book]

names

People call me the Freeway Gorilla. The Ape at Exit 8.
The One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback.

 

The names are mine, but they’re not me. I am Ivan, only Ivan.

 

Human waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot.

 

Everyone knows that the peels are the best part.

 

I suppose you think gorillas can’t understand you. Of course, you also probably think we can’t walk upright.

 

Try knuckle walking for an hour. You tell me: Which way is more fun?

[/end]

 

Ivan, a silverback gorilla, has lived in the Big Top Mall for almost his entire life—9,855 days (about 27 years) from what he can tell. He lives in a cage, next to Stella the elephant, who is good at stories and has a leg injury from when she worked in the circus. He also has a friend in Bob, the stray dog, who sleeps on his stomach at night. Stuck in a cage all day, Ivan occasionally paints using markers and finger paints given to him by Mack, the owner of the Big Top Mall and of Ivan.

Worried about declining numbers in customers, Mack buys a new baby elephant to bring new life into the circus, Ruby. Stella becomes sick from her leg injury and makes Ivan promise her that he will take care of Ruby. Soon after, Ivan decides that the best way to take care of Ruby would be to get her out of the mall and her small cage and into the zoo. But how is a gorilla in a cage, even a silverback one, supposed to accomplish that?

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Ivan was a real gorilla who lived in a mall for 27 years, but the story itself is fictional, as the events and characters in it were not part of the real story. The whole story is written in prose poetry from Ivan’s first person perspective.

Although Ivan never says he is unhappy with his captivity, the whole book carries a strong melancholy tone at best, often with tinges of despair that only get stronger when Ruby is introduced. Ivan never comes out and says such things; gorillas aren’t prone to sulking, but Applegate’s flawless word choice creates a strong sense of sadness in the reader for his plight. For instance, Ivan is careful to always call where he lives his “domain” and corrects Stella every time she calls it a cage. The simple sentences in the prose poetry conveys Ivan’s personality and desires, and causes the reader to root for him through his struggles.

The One and Only Ivan has received many awards, including:

·         2013 Newbery Medal

·         2012 School Library Journal Best of Children’s Books

·         2012 Kirkus Reviews Best of Children’s Books

·         2013-14 Texas Bluebonnet Award

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

FROM KIRKUS REVIEWS: How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.

FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The characters will capture readers’ hearts and never let go.  A must-have.

5.     CONNECTIONS

Other books by Katherine Applegate

• Home of the Brave,  IBSN 0312535636
• Love Sucks and Then You Die with Michael Grant, ASIN B00EMT2FI0
• Eve and Adam with Michael Grant, ISBN 1250034191
• Animorphs series

Other YA books from animal points of view:

• Shakespeare’s Dog: A Novel by Leon Rooke, ISBN 0880010932
• Timbuktu: A Novel by Paul Auster, ISBN 0312428944
• Watership Down by Richard Adams, ISBN 0743277708
• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, ISBN 0486407888
• Call of the Wild by Jack London, ISBN 1493663437

LS5603-Poetry 1: One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

This book has about four different covers, so if your cover doesn't look like, this don't panic!

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sones, Sonya. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. Simon & Schuster Books: New York, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-689-85820-8

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

[Excerpt from the book]

I Love to Read

But my life better not turn out

to be like one of those hideous books

where the mother dies

and so the girl has to

go live with her absentee father

and he turns out to be

an alcoholic heroin addict

who brutally beats her

and sexually molests her

thereby causing her to become a bulimic ax murderer.
 

I love to read,

but I can’t stand books like that.
 

and I flat out refuse

to have one of those lives

that I wouldn’t even want

to read about
 

Written in blank verse, this “hideous” young adult novel follows Ruby, a fifteen-year-old girl whose mother has just died. It begins with her getting on a plane to meet her father, whom she has never met and feels a great deal of resentment towards for being so distant her entire life with no explanation. The real kicker? Her father is also an extraordinarily famous movie star, and she’s moving to Hollywood, away from friends and family. As she spends more time with him, she begins to wonder if he’s as bad as she’s made him out to be in her head. While struggling to come to terms with her and her father’s relationship, she also deals with a long-distance relationship with her first boyfriend, betrayal from friends, and trying to fit in to a new, very different school. Mild spoiler: she does not become a bulimic ax murderer the way she worries about in her thoughts.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Although this book might seem daunting to a reader who is not into poetry, the blank verse makes the story very accessible. Ruby’s personality comes through clearly throughout the book; quirky, and fairly angry about where life has put her. With many other protagonists this story might have fallen flat and boring, but Ruby’s matter-of-fact explanations and details about her past are done in such a sardonic tone the reader can’t help but laugh and feel sympathy for her plights.

Even though the book seems very “princess” themed (girl from poor family goes to live with another family member with incredible wealth and hijinks ensue), the emotions that Ruby deals with are relatable and easy to empathize with. Her sorrow over her mother’s death, her anger and frustration and her absentee father, her struggles with a new school, and her feelings about her boyfriend, virginity, and dating are all accessible to a young adult reader, and any reader who has gone through similar things will surely connect to Ruby.

This is an excellent introduction to poetry after Shel Silverstein; there is no rhyming but the blank verse has a rhythm that moves the reader along the pages effortlessly.  

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

FROM BOOKLIST –  Sones’ novel is an unusual combination of over-the-top Hollywood fairy tale and sharp, honest story about overcoming grief … It’s Ruby’s first-person voice—acrimonious, raw, and very funny—that pulls everything together, whether she is writing e-mails to her deceased mother or attending Dream Analysis class at a private L.A. high schoo l… A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers

FROM SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL –  Ruby’s affable personality is evident in her humorous quips and clever wordplays. Her depth of character is revealed through her honest admissions, poignant revelations, and sensitive insights. This is not just another one of those gimmicky novels written in poetry. It’s solid and well written, and Sones has a lot to say about the importance of carefully assessing people and situations and about opening the door to one’s own happiness

FROM PUBLISHERS’ WEEKLY – This winning portrayal of a teenage-girl’s loves and losses, written in Sones’s (What My Mother Doesn’t Know) signature free-verse style, opens as 15-year-old Ruby is en route from Boston to L.A. (“Hell A” as she calls it).

FROM VOYA – Without being preachy, Sones addressed stereotyping, variations of friendship, betrayal by loved ones, and parent-child relationships. Readers will cry as easily as they laugh at Ruby’s frank observations of life

5.     CONNECTIONS

Other books by Soya Sones

·         What My Mother Doesn’t Know SBN 1442493852

·         To Be Perfectly Honest: A Novel Based on an Untrue Story ISBN 0689876041

·         Stop Pretending: What Hpapened When My Big Sister Went Crazy ISBN 0064462188

·         What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know ISBN 1442493844

Other young adult poetry books

·         Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, ISBN 0590371258

·         Crank by Ellen Hopkins, ISBN 1442471816

·         Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koerge, ISBN 0763644064

·         Burned by Ellen Hopkins, ISBN 1442494611