  | One and only Ruby Author: Applegate, Katherine | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
In this novel-in-verse that picks up a few months after the events of The one and only Bob, Ruby recounts her life before the circus when her caretaker from the elephant orphanage in Africa comes for a visit.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.20 Points: 3.0 Quiz: 519313 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (04/01/23)
Booklist (+) (12/01/23)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/05/23)
The Hornbook (00/07/23)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 04/15/2023 *Starred Review* In this latest from Applegate, the elephant introduced in The One and Only Ivan (2012) gets to tell her life story to friends at the Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary. Ruby, aka Duni (her African keeper's name for her) aka Nya (her birth name), hates her new nickname, Tusky. It signals her tusks are emerging and that she will soon have her Tuskday, which is like a birthday party, only without the fun. There is a deeper reason, though, why everything about her tusks bothers her, and when Ruby is visited by the keeper who helped save her when her mother was killed by hunters, it stirs memories that she relates to her friends Ivan, the silverback gorilla; Bob, the dog; and the leader of her present herd, Aunt Akello. In the guise of a growing-up tale, the story leads readers to ponder the ecological devastation of the ivory trade, the difficulties of being torn from your homeland at an early age, and the horrors of many circuses and zoos. But countering that is also the joy of friendship, humans' kindness toward animals, and the joy of just being a kid, as described in Ruby's descriptions of the fun she has during pondplay, mudfun, and her floppy-run. For fans of Ivan as well as animals in general, this is a special sequel. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
