I read The One and Only Ivan this past school year, as I am trying to read as many Newbery Honor and Medal-Winners as I can. This book won the gold medal in 2013. It is written in verse, which means that the whole book is basically one big poem, but verse novels are not exactly what you would expect from poetry. Each chapter is very short, even sometimes less than a page. These kinds of novels allow you to experience the characters and emotions of a story, rather than get bogged down with lots of descriptive details. This novel is a beautiful story about Ivan, a gorilla who lives in a shopping mall. The novel is told from his point of view, and depicts how his life changes in various ways as he lives in a cage, has friends, learns how to paint, and dreams of freedom. A beautiful story and a very quick read!
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