The One and Only Ivan

  

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Published by Harper

2012

Ages 8-12

Shelf: Middle Grade 

Opening Line:  "I am Ivan.  I am a gorilla.  It's not as easy as it looks."

Favorite Quotes: "
"Her pictures are like pieces of a dream."

"Old age is a powerful disguise."

"Memories are precious."

"I always tell the truth.  Although I sometimes confuse the facts."

"I don't know why.  I never know the why of humans."

"But many days I forget what I am supposed to be.  Am I a human? Am I a gorilla?"

"It's an odd story to remember, I have to admit.  My story has a strange shape:  a stunted beginning, an endless middle."

"That's called artistic license."

Blurb:  Based on a true story of a real gorilla named Ivan, Ivan is a gorilla who lives in a shopping mall.  His circle of friends consists of:  Bob, the dog, Stella and Ruby, the elephants, and Julia, the human.  Ivan didn't always live in a shopping mall.  He was captured by the bad humans, and lost his family.  Ivan counts his days in captivity, and there are many.  He lives in a stupor spending his days behind a glass. But when Ruby comes into his life something awakens inside Ivan.  Will Ivan ever be free and live among his kin again?

Within its pages:

There are many teaching themes to tap into with this wondrous novel:  Friendship, courage, determination,  animals in captivity, perseverance, personification, and finding your inner strength.  The author highlights the importance of keeping a promise, and how we can reach deeper than we sometimes think possible.  For younger students, The One and Only Ivan would be an excellent read aloud.  One that will surely evoke some deep, rich discussions around the various themes that emerge within the text.

The way the book is organized, with short paragraphs and chapters (sometimes just a couple of lines per page) is a great example that sometimes less is definitely more.  Applegate is able to show how powerful just a couple of words can be.  It's a great example to share with those kids intimidated by the empty page when they need to write.

Shelf  it!

Ivan is a fighter, and his friendships give him a sense of pride and purpose.  In Ivan's mind, humans don't make sense....humans and their words, they just talk too much.  This is a wonderfully remarkable and powerful story.  An absolute must shelf! Applegate has a found a way to reach deep into your heart and soul with this deeply poignant and captivating story.  It will tug at your heart strings, and you might even cry, we're just saying!
Just stop reading this blog already, and GO SHELF IT!!! :-)

The book's website has a wonderful book trailer that will surely have kids begging to read the book and will also provide more info. on the real Ivan.

FYI - A picture book about the true story of Ivan, the gorilla, is due to be released in early October by Katherine Applegate.  Yay!

 

The Dark

The Dark by Lemony Snicket
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Published by Little, Brown and Company
2013
Shelf: Picture Book

Opening Line: "Laszlo was afraid of the dark."

Favorite Quote: "You might be afraid of the dark, but the dark is not afraid of you. That's why the dark is always close by."

Blurb:
Laszlo is a little boy, wearing blue footie pajamas, living in a large home where the dark hides in the basement.  He's afraid of the dark but the dark has never come to visit him upstairs in his bedroom, that is until his night-light burns out.  When the one thing Laszlo is afraid of is also the thing that holds the key to ending his fears, will he be brave enough to go down to the basement and face the dark?   

Within its lines:
Lemony Snicket has crafted a wonderful story of a boy dealing with one of the most common childhood fears: the dark.  But this dark, talks to Lazslo and guides him through creaky old hallways, down empty rooms, all the way down to the basement where it offers him the solution to his fear: a new light bulb.

The way the text is placed around the pages is quite remarkable.  Whenever Laszo speaks, his words appear in the areas of the page where the light sips in. And when the dark speaks, his words are, well, in the dark.

Let go back to this whole, "when the dark speaks" we just mentioned.  This is a fantastic book to introduce kids to the concept of personification.  Dark takes on its own persona in this book and the reader can't help but connect with it and befriend it.

The illustrations in sepia tones and inky darks by Klassen are a perfect match. And the lack of any sort of furniture or evidence of any other person living with Laszlo, that emptiness, really adds to the feeling of fear and loneliness that sets up the scene for this wonderful picture book.

Shelf it!
Yes! Shelf it! We don't get tired of reading The Dark.  Share it with a kid who's afraid of the dark, with one who loves the dark, with one who loves creepy stories, with one who loves sweet ending...Just share it!!

The Fault in Our Stars

                                                                  

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Published by Dutton Books
2012
Ages: 14+
Shelf:  Young Adult (YA)

Opening Line:  "Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death."

Favorite Quotes: 
“Almost everyone is obsessed with leaving a mark upon the world. Bequeathing a legacy. Outlasting death. We all want to be remembered."

"I decided that the proper strategy was to stare back.  Boys do not have a monopoly on the Staring Business, after all."

"The world is not a wish granting factory."
 
"I fell in love the way you fall asleep:  slowly, and then all at once."

"Some infinities are bigger than other infinities."

 

Blurb:

Sixteen-year old year old, Hazel Grace Lancaster has been battling cancer since she was twelve, and is indefinitely bound to a portable oxygen tank.  Despite a tumor-shrinking medical miracle, her days are numbered.  Hazel lives under the tangible weight of the unknown, and this affects how she lives and views the world.  As per her parent's wishes, Hazel attends a  cancer support group where she subsequently meets and falls in love with seventeen-year old Augustus Water, a cancer survivor.  Hazel likens herself to a grenade when she constantly imagines the pain she will cause her loved ones when she dies.  Augustus fears oblivion and being anything but extraordinary.  Hazel will learn that "Some infinities are bigger than other infinities," and that sometimes it just has to be "okay."

Within its pages:

The true charm of this novel lies within its two leading characters, Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters, and the evolution of their relationship, and in turn, their character.
The story is narrated by Hazel.  She is smart, witty, has a wonderful sense of humor, super sarcastic, sometimes a bit cynical, and is constantly consumed with thoughts of death and being a grenade.  Agustus is charming, charismatic, confident, funny, and a "glass half full" kind of guy.   The connection between these two is instantaneous.  You will get lost in their world. 

There is no shortage of figurative language in this novel - it is filled with metaphors, personification, and symbolism.  

"I was veritably swimming in a paralyzing and totally cynical depression."
"That's the thing about pain, it demands to be felt."
"'I'm a grenade and at some point I'm going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, okay?
"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."
"I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is improbably biased toward the consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed."

You will find yourself marveling and stopping at various points in the novel, not only because the book is that good, but because the lines are that deep, and thought-provoking. 

Shelf It! (Okay?!)
As you read this novel, prepare to embark on a roller coaster ride of emotions.  It is filled with peaks and valleys, but the thrill will always leave you wanting more - so hang on tight!
At times, you find yourself smiling, and laughing out loud.  Other times, you may find yourself feeling angry, saddened, and quite possibly shedding a few tears.  And you will most likely fall in love along the way....In fact, we have a bookie crush on Augustus Waters!
It is all these emotions that keep you so deeply connected with the characters.  Green has done an outstanding job of accurately depicting and capturing the deep love these characters have for one another through their dialogue and actions.  It is thought provoking and compelling. 

Despite the circumstances, Hazel and Augustus teach us that having cancer, doesn't define who you are.  You have to appreciate Hazel's wicked sense of humor and sarcasm. The back and forth banter between Augustus and Hazel is irresistible and endearing.   

Admittedly, this teenage love story filled, with heartbreak and realistic tragedy, is somewhat predictable, but still so intense and gripping! You will question the fairness of life, but the world is not a wish grantig factory, after all.  Additionally, the chosen title of this novel is very compelling and intriguing, and leaves you pondering its meaning. 

Finally, you will never look at the word "okay" in the same way again!