ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Applegate, Katherine

The One and Only Family

272 pp. | HarperCollins/Harper | May, 2024 | Trade ISBN 9780063221123 $19.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780063221147 $10.99
(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Patricia Casteleo. fter Bob and Ruby have taken turns narrating the past couple of books, it's only fitting that Ivan (The One and Only Ivan, rev. 1/12) returns as the narrator for the fourth and final volume of the quartet. The gorilla protagonist now lives a good life in the wildlife park, far removed from his traumatic past filled with abuse and neglect at Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He is surrounded by close friends, both human and animal, who sustain him and understand him, many having gone through trauma themselves. Now Ivan and his mate are about to be parents and must grapple with what this means: "'But it's my job to protect them from the world,' I said. 'It's our job to prepare them for the world,' Kinyani responded, arms crossed over her chest." Offspring aren't the only means of extending Ivan's legacy: he is the subject of a forthcoming documentary. Tragedy almost strikes at the premiere when the filmmaker's son finds himself in the gorilla enclosure with an enraged silverback bearing down on him. Ivan rises to the challenge, both as a father and as a leader. This volume doesn't stand alone as well as the others, and that's okay. It's a wonderful farewell tour for these endearing characters and the themes that they have come to embody so well: adversity, resilience, and hope.
Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?