Tag Archives: HarperCollins Publishers

Review: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

one-and-only-ivanThe One and Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
HarperCollins

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Ivan has a small life within the glass walls of his domain in the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He watches TV and spends time with Bob, a stray dog, and Stella, an elephant. He makes art using crayons and paper given to him by his owner, Mack. He doesn’t think of his early life or his far away home in the jungle. And then Ruby, a baby elephant comes to the Big Top Mall, and everything changes. The mall is the wrong place for Ruby, and it’s up to Ivan to make everyone see that. He must find a way to show the humans where he and Ruby belong.

My family and I listened to an audiobook version of this story on our way home from vacation. We had listened to Flora and Ulysses a few days earlier, which was a tough act to follow. As The One and Only Ivan began, I wasn’t sure I’d like it. The beginning contains a lot of descriptions of where Ivan lives and who else lives there. It felt like not much was happening. Not much does happen until Ruby comes into the picture. Suddenly Ivan has a goal, a mission, and he won’t stop until he succeeds. For me, the story was much more entertaining at that point. My favorite character was Bob, the stray dog who always has some smart-aleck comment but who has a sweet heart underneath.

At the end of the story is an author’s note describing how Applegate was inspired by a real gorilla’s tale. Ivan was a real gorilla in captivity who spent later years of his life at the Atlanta Zoo (which I really want to visit!) I thought it was really cool to bring a real story into a novel like this.

Though the overall pace was a little slow for me, I did enjoy reading this book. It has been on my To Read list since it came out in 2012, so I’m glad to finally be able to say I read it. If you like stories featuring animals as central characters, this is a definitely must-read.

Cultural Elements
Most of the characters are animals. I can’t remember any race descriptions.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Ivan mentions that he sometimes flings dung at rude visitors. (He’s in a glass enclosure, so it’s ineffective.)

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, ,

The Selection (The Selection #1)
Kiera Cass
HarperCollins
Published April 24, 2012

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All sixteen year-old America Singer wants is to save her earnings as a musician and begin a new life with her secret love, Aspen. Her family, especially her social-ladder-climbing mother would never approve of America marrying a class beneath them, and when Aspen withdraws from the relationship because of the class difference, America despairs. Though she once considered it a nightmare, being chosen for the Selection, a group of girls spirited away to the palace from which the prince will choose a bride, now seems like America’s only escape from her heartache.

She arrives at the palace determined to stay only long enough for her family to receive enough compensation to ease their poverty. But when an unexpected friendship develops between her and Prince Maxon, America begins to rethink her rush to return home. Just as the warm feelings of friendship begin to blossom into something more, America’s past with Aspen returns to haunt her. For a member of the Selection to have a relationship with anyone besides the prince is treason.

Sort of Cinderella meets The Bachelor, The Selection is filled with high drama and sweet romance. Though her affection for Aspen seemed childish and ill-placed (other than the physical attraction, it was difficult to discern what she saw in him… he just didn’t seem remarkable,) the slow unfolding of her friendship and connection with the prince sparkled with desire, inner conflict, jealousy and romance.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild word choice, mild frequency

Sexual Content
America and Aspen cultivate a secret romance, exchanging kisses and promises. No clothes are removed during these interludes, but the scenes are steamy nonetheless. As a member of the Selection, America is instructed to refuse nothing her prince asks of her. She is horrified to learn that this includes if he propositions her. However, Maxon’s sense of honor puts her more at ease.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Rebel groups infiltrate the castle, causing one of America’s maids to relive a traumatic assault. No graphic details, but it’s clear the memories torture the girl.

Drug Content
When America joins the Selection, her body becomes property of the state, and medications such as birth control and sleeping aids become mandatory.

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Review: Exile by Rebecca Lim

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Exile
Rebecca Lim
HarperCollins
Published June 9, 2011

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As punishment for crimes she can’t remember, Mercy is exiled from the angel world, forced to live human lives, driven from one life to another in an endless cycle of suffering. This time, Mercy finds herself within the life of Lela, a dedicated young girl whose life revolves around caring for her terminally ill mother.

Mercy weaves through the day-to-day commitments of Lela’s small life, but her focus remains turned to the limited fragments she can piece together from the past. In dreams, Luc visits her, telling her of their great love for one another, begging her to find him, or to find the man who can lead Luc to her. This man, Ryan, also loved Mercy, but she struggles to fathom why anyone besides Luc would stir her heart the way Ryan seems to do. Could it be that Luc isn’t telling her the whole truth?

Finding Ryan turns out to be a relatively simple task thanks to the technology available in Lela’s world. He promises to meet Lela in a few days, and her heart soars. But to meet Ryan, Mercy must first survive the onslaught of evil that surrounds her.

The second book in Lim’s Mercy Series would be better enjoyed by readers who’ve experienced the first book. Without that foundation, it may be difficult to connect to Mercy’s struggle and to understand her somewhat calculated indifference to the life of the human whose body she inhabits. While this novel is based on a fascinating premise, much of this story seems to be devoted to setting the stage for the final scenes.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Profanities appear about a half-dozen times or so.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Mercy is an angel who has been exiled to the human world, however, God is not really mentioned in conjunction to either world – human or angel.

Violence
One character briefly discusses her career as an exotic dancer which is obviously part of a very difficult life for her. A woman is dragged through the street by her dangerous and abusive ex-boyfriend. Another man intervenes, saving her. Two hostage situations occur in which victims are threatened at gunpoint. One gunman commits a murder/suicide. Some details are given through the course of the scene.

Drug Content
Lela’s mother has advanced stage cancer and is very close to dying. Her palliative care team provide morphine and other medications to her.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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