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A review by pkadams
Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
3.0
I expected to dislike this story as I was rather neutral about the premise: an eight-day-old chimp named Zan comes to live with Ben and his family as part of his parents' all-consuming research experiment. However in the hands of storyteller as talented as Oppel it becomes an interesting and engaging story.
Zan soon wins Ben over and the boy becomes the chimp's champion. Ben's relationship with his father starts off rocky and remains so for most of the book, as is most relationships between a 13 year old and his parents can be when the son is moved across the country against his will and his father is so self-absorbed that they are never on the same page.
Most of the conflict in this story was believable; Ben's relationship with his father, Ben's status at school, and his own internal struggle to define who he wants to be. The dramatic conflict at the end seems a bit contrived and unnecessary to move the story forward. I will be interested to hear what kids think as to whether or not it was exciting or superfluous.
Oppel captures disaffected youth well and kids will certainly be able to relate easily to the story and themes. What impressed me the most was the way the themes were interwoven into the story in such a way that is age appropriate and thought provoking for students. Among the themes explored are defining families, defining humanity, animal cruelty, responsibility for others, friendship, loyalty, and making tough choices.
Zan soon wins Ben over and the boy becomes the chimp's champion. Ben's relationship with his father starts off rocky and remains so for most of the book, as is most relationships between a 13 year old and his parents can be when the son is moved across the country against his will and his father is so self-absorbed that they are never on the same page.
Most of the conflict in this story was believable; Ben's relationship with his father, Ben's status at school, and his own internal struggle to define who he wants to be. The dramatic conflict at the end seems a bit contrived and unnecessary to move the story forward. I will be interested to hear what kids think as to whether or not it was exciting or superfluous.
Oppel captures disaffected youth well and kids will certainly be able to relate easily to the story and themes. What impressed me the most was the way the themes were interwoven into the story in such a way that is age appropriate and thought provoking for students. Among the themes explored are defining families, defining humanity, animal cruelty, responsibility for others, friendship, loyalty, and making tough choices.