Recommended Age:
9
+
Best for independent readers who enjoy emotionally rich, character-driven stories with animal perspectives and themes of captivity, friendship, and quiet hope.
About the Book
Told from the perspective of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who has spent 27 years living in a cage at a shopping mall circus, the novel follows his friendship with an aging elephant named Stella and a baby elephant named Ruby, and his growing understanding that he must find a way to save Ruby from the same fate. Based on a true story. A Newbery Medal winner that is deeply moving and beautifully written.
Content Ratings
💡
Moderate Themes
The novel explores captivity, the loss of freedom and family, the death of a beloved friend, and the ethical questions around keeping intelligent animals in confinement; Ivan's quiet grief and longing for a better life are emotionally powerful.
⚔️
Mild Violence
Stella dies from untreated injuries; Ivan was violently captured from the wild as a baby and separated from his family; the cruelty of captivity is emotionally significant but not graphically depicted.
