Winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal and a #1 New York Times bestseller, this stirring and unforgettable novel from renowned author Katherine Applegate celebrates the transformative power of unexpected friendships. Inspired by the true story of a captive gorilla known as Ivan, this illustrated 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.

 

The One and Only Ivan was hailed as a best book of the year by Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Amazon, demonstrating it is a true classic in the making. In the tradition of timeless stories like Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan's unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope. An author's note depicts the differences between the fictional story and true events.

最真誠的友誼   是最偉大的力量

所有的改變

就從一個單純的承諾開始……

 

在他二十七歲的生命當中，大猩猩伊凡只記得「大頂購物中心」這個地方。這裡有他喜歡的焦糖蘋果、奶油爆米花，和那些像泡泡瀑布般的汽水。他對人類的目光習以為常，對人類的語言也瞭若指掌。但是，象寶寶露比的加入，逐漸喚醒了伊凡模糊的叢林記憶。當大象好友史黛拉因表演過度而逝世，老闆麥克對年幼的露比揮舞著馴獸棍時，伊凡突然看清了這個「家」：生鏽的鋼鐵圍欄、冰冷生硬的水泥牆、日以繼夜的表演似乎永無止盡……

 

為了實踐對史黛拉的承諾，伊凡試著突破金屬圍欄和厚重的玻璃，讓露比前往一個值得被稱為「家」的地方……伊凡該如何保護露比？可以自由奔跑的「家」，會是什麼模樣？
 

 

——中文簡介小天下出版《八號出口的猩猩》