Carl’s Letter Essay #9

Dear Class,
My reading has come along way since the beginning of the year. Though i did not reach the forty book challenge, I definitely gain a new appreciation for reading. This year I really discovered what genre that I like most.
I read the book The One and Only Ivan which contains 307 pages. This book was published on the 12th of january in 2012, and is still widely read today! I read this book because it was recommended to me by mr jockers and on top of that i love animals so the book was a great fit for me. Though this book is about animals I do not feel that you have to have a passion for animal like i do to enjoy this book! The connection that the author makes with the reader through the characters in and of itself is enough.

The author of this book is Katherine Applegate, She has written many fictional books and has received many awards. Infact in 2013 The One and Only Ivan was awarded the John newbery medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for Children. She now lives in California with her husband and her two children.

I think that this is a good read for people of all ages. To justify this, my brother who is now 11 read this book and enjoyed it and so did mr jockers so as you can see this book truly suits all ages. I think that the storyline of this book couldn’t have been better.

This book is about a close group of friends which happen to be animals. They live in the mall off exit 8. Ivan the main character who is a gorilla lives in his own enclose with his friends in other enclosures around him. He later on in the story meets a young elephant named Ruby who has been taken from her parents and put in one of these enclosures. From then on it is Ivan’s goal to make a better life for Ruby
I really enjoyed the solution that the author ended the book on and how I resulted in such a better life for Ruby and Ivan. I also liked how the author sets the tone at the beginning of the story. It makes ruby’s presence much more impactful. I also like the description of the setting that the author gives. I provides a good visual for the reader.

A quote that I thought was very meaningful was “Humans waste words. They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot. Everyone knows the peels are the best part.” I think it gives us another outlook on things
And finally I would give this book an 8/10 because i really enjoyed it!

Sicerly, Carl Zuanelli

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