By Katherine Applegate
4RBooks: 5/6, grades 4-7
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grades 3-7
Good Reads: 4.20/5
Common Sense Media: 5/5, ages 10+
210 pages
Synopsis:
Ruby has a new life in the zoo with her herd of elephant aunts. She still has her friend Ivan the gorilla living in the exhibit next door and talks to him often. Her other friend Bob the dog, now living with Julia and her family, comes to visit often. They were all rescued from the zoo themed mall where Ivan and Ruby were kept in cages and Bob roamed without a family.
Even though life is better, Ruby is scared and sad. She is scared because her “Tuskday” is coming, and she isn’t sure she wants tusks and doesn’t want to be the center of attention. She is sad because she misses her mom, her life in Africa, and her friend at the mall, Stella the elephant.
For the first time Ruby feels strong and brave enough to tell her friends her life story about how she was in Africa and then was captured and brought to America. It’s a hard story to tell. Ruby finally must face her fears about “Tuskday” and join the herd for the ceremony. Through it all she begins to realize that being part of a herd, connecting with friends, is all she’ll ever need.
Parental Guidance: medium
Ruby tells stories of her life in Africa including finding elephant bones of an elephant hunted for its tusks, getting lost from the herd while searching for water, being chased off farmland by men with guns, and the death of her mother at the hands of poachers.
Eventually she is rescued, but then is captured and sent to America to work in a zoo and then a mall. This required trips in boxes and cates on boats and trucks. At the mall she is befriended and sheltered by another elephant, Stella, but she is old and passes away.
Recommendation:
This is the third book in the “One and Only” series. It started with The One and Only Ivan, one of the best children’s books I’ve read. That was followed with The One and Only Bob which is reviewed in my blog. I thought that book was okay. “Ruby” is better than “Bob,” but still not as good as “Ivan.” One can read each book separately, but it does help to read them in order since all three characters appear in each book and there are many references to events in the other stories.
This is a good story overall but with a melancholy air. Ruby’s life has not been easy. It is good now as she is at a zoo and has bonded with other elephants, but 1/3 of the book is Ruby telling Ivan, Bob, and another gorilla her story of being captured in Africa and brought to America.
The ending is sweet as she celebrates her “Tuskday” with her elephant aunts and realizes that growing up isn’t so bad. She realizes how blessed she is with her herd and her friends.
It’s an easy read with short chapters and pictures. Boys and girls should enjoy the story, but sensitive children may be upset by what has happened to the animals. This would be a good classroom read, led by the teacher, with time and space for reflection. It would be especially good to coincide with a unit on elephants and wildlife protection.
Commenti