THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan's unforgettable first person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

Ivan is an easy-going 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. lnstead, Ivan thinks about tv shows he has seen, and his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog.

But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste ofa 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 is up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate is the author of numerous books for young readers, including the best-selling Animorphs series, the Roscoe RiIey Rides series, and the award-winning free verse stand-alone novel, Home oft the Brave. She lives with her husband, who writes as the author Michael Grant, and their children in California.