Family Book Club: "The One and Only Ivan" and "Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla"

Pick up copies of this month's books at the Youth Services desk at the Middendorf-Kredell branch.

A book club for the whole family! Each month, we will provide one copy of a chapter book suitable for grades 4-6 and one copy of a picture book suitable for grades K-3. Read either or both books (we encourage reading them aloud!) and come to the Library to discuss the books with other families, do a related activity and craft, discover new reads similar to each month's books, and pick up copies of the next month's books! This is a family/group program; children attending must be accompanied by an adult.

Find out more about this month's books below:

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate: Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this novel is told from the point of view of Ivan himself. Having spent 27 years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate: The true story of Ivan, known as the Shopping Mall Gorilla, who lived alone in a small cage for almost 30 years before being relocated to the gorilla habitat at ZooAtlanta.

Additional copies may be available to check out from our catalog: The One and Only Ivan (print, audio, and digital) and Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla (print).