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Content snapshot
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Violence
None
No violence
Language
None
No profanity
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Barely any
The sadness of captivity; the death of a beloved animal character; Ivan's grief handled with perfect restraint
What this book is about
Ivan is a gorilla who has lived in a cage at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall for twenty-seven years. He can paint, has a few friends (a dog named Bob, an elephant named Stella), and mostly does not think about the jungle. When a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, Ivan makes her a promise—and keeps it. Applegate's Newbery Medal novel is told in Ivan's measured, beautiful voice and is one of the most emotionally precise middle-grade novels published in this century.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
The death of an animal character handled movingly
Themes of captivity and what animals lose
Reader Verification
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