Play Book Tag discussion

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

This book was so sweet and so sad. I loved it. Ivan was sweet Ruby's hero....and the hero for many others. I love that the author took story of actual events and turned it into a lovable story. This book has been on my TBR for a time now and I am glad that "Award Winner" came up so that I had a reason to bump it up on my list.

This sounds right up my alley.

I've been wanting to read this, my granddaughter loves it.

It is a very quick wonderful read.

I loved this story.

I loved this one, too!

I really enjoyed this one too. I thought it was a little sad and I don't like reading about animal abuse, but I'm glad the book happened the way it did. :)

Oh, my, here I thought this would be a safe read, and now I am adding this to my tbr! This sounds good.