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jhenry's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thelibrarylady42's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
blamar0714's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
line_magnus's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
justicepirate's review
informative
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
My older children and I read The One and Only Ivan several years ago when it came out. We loved it. There was a lot of beauty in it. We actually all have read several of Katherine Applegate's books and love her way of captivating us with her stories. She is one of our favorite children's authors. Now, I did not read the second book yet from this series, but my second older child did and said there wasn't really much to worry about other than one character. I read this book aloud to my family little by little each night.
The problem we had with this book, is it is basically told from a baby elephant's perspective and therefore was aimed for what seemed to be a younger generation of children than the rest of the series. It was definitely a more childish feel to it. There were things that were a little heavy in it. The story wasn't bad, it just didn't captivate us enough. It was also shorter. The only issue that Ruby was dealing with was facing a new stage in her life that she didn't know she was ready for. She then backtracks through her memories when she was very small. This is where things got to be a little bit darker, but it was handled as a way to teach children about what goes on in the wilderness for some elephants. There is always a message that is meant to come across in Katherine Applegate's books, and this was part of her message.
It wasn't bad, we liked it, but we feel it lacked a bit, is all.
The problem we had with this book, is it is basically told from a baby elephant's perspective and therefore was aimed for what seemed to be a younger generation of children than the rest of the series. It was definitely a more childish feel to it. There were things that were a little heavy in it. The story wasn't bad, it just didn't captivate us enough. It was also shorter. The only issue that Ruby was dealing with was facing a new stage in her life that she didn't know she was ready for. She then backtracks through her memories when she was very small. This is where things got to be a little bit darker, but it was handled as a way to teach children about what goes on in the wilderness for some elephants. There is always a message that is meant to come across in Katherine Applegate's books, and this was part of her message.
It wasn't bad, we liked it, but we feel it lacked a bit, is all.
helloakosisam's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5