The One and Only Ivan: Book Review by Alexander Li

“The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate is a fantastic book, which I give a 5 out of 5 star review. It’s about with his friends Bob (a dog) and Stella (an elephant).

A reason I give this book a 5 out of 5 star review is because this book is written from a gorilla’s viewpoint, which makes the book fun to read. In the beginning of the book, there is a glossary of vocabulary words that Ivan uses. For example, the term ‘me-ball’ means ‘a dried excrement (poop) thrown at observers’. The term ‘the Grunt’ means ‘snorting piglike noise made by gorilla parents to express annoyance’. I think the vocabulary words Ivan uses are very funny because it is from a gorilla’s viewpoint.

Another reason I like this book, is because the book has cliffhangers, which make me want to read more. Once, there was an elephant named Ruby who came to the shopping mall. Stella cared for Ruby a lot, from stroking Ruby’s body with her trunk, to asking Ruby questions if she was okay or not. But Stella died because of a leg infection and her last words to Ivan were to promise her that Ruby will be moved to a better place. After all, a shopping mall isn’t a suitable place for a baby elephant is it? But how is Ivan supposed to move Ruby to the right place? I think those cliffhanger questions make me like this book more because it builds up tension and anticipation.

Last but not least, I give this book a 5 out of 5 star review because the book is very funny. For example, Ivan is always bored, and he thinks reading books would be a good time spending his bare hours. He found a book in his ‘domain’ accidentally left by one of his owners. But he couldn’t read, so guess what he did? He ate the book (which tasted like termites). I think this book is effective at being funny because Ivan’s opin

Overall, ‘The One and Only Ivan’ is a great book, because it is written from a gorilla’s viewpoint, it has cliffhangers, and it is funny. Personally, I recommend you read this book by Katherine Applegate.