The One and Only Ivan- Katherine Applegate

I don’t know about you, but any novel I read involving animals eventually makes me cry. This novel was no exception! It made me laugh often and tear up at moments. It is such a beautiful novel, and a Newbury Medal winner. Despite its length, it is a quick read because of the large font size and generous spacing.  In my classroom, I simply cannot keep this book on my shelf! Students love the protagonist, Ivan, who is a gorilla kept in a cage at a shopping mall. Though in the beginning of the novel, Ivan thinks of his home as a wonderful domain, he changes his mind after witnessing abuse to a baby elephant and hearing stories of the wide open spaces in a zoo from an older elephant named Stella. Ivan becomes determined to escape the mall. The friendships and cooperation between characters in this novel are heartwarming and important for children of all ages to experience. #animals #fiction #animalabuse #gorilla #zoosBuy the book here!Maturity: 1/4This novel is appropriate for all ages. Its low lexile score makes it accessible to students in grade three and up, but its themes and characters are complex enough to engage readers through middle school. Pages: 300Lexile: 570LLexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!Check us out on Instagram! #rileyreadsya