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The One and Only Ivan, written by Katherine Applegate, is a beautiful story of friendship, courage, and a daring fight for freedom. It is mainly written for children aged between 8 and 12. Summary of the Book Ivan is a calm gorilla. He is used to humans seeing him through the glass at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He is so accustomed to this life that he rarely ever thinks of his natural life in the jungle. What he does think about though, are the TV shows he has watched, along with his friends Bob – a stray dog and Stella – an elderly elephant. But there is one thing that Ivan is mostly concerned about – art. He is constantly thinking about capturing the most exotic natural phenomena in lines and colours. Then one day, a baby elephant called Ruby, separated from her family, meets Ivan. She makes Ivan look into his own works from a whole new perspective. Their friendship leads to unexpected changes in their lives and Ivan is faced with an opportunity for a change for the better. Will he make up his mind to give it a try? Find out in this witty, humorous, yet moving tale through Ivan’s captivating first person narration. About Katherine Applegate Katherine Applegate is a famous American writer, who is into science fiction, adventure and fantasy novels. The One and Only Ivan, the children’s novel, won Katherine the 2013 Newbery Medal. Some of her notable works are Animorphs, The Buffalo Storm, Home of the Brave, Roscoe Riley Rules, and Eve & Adam.