By A note on this series: BookPros’s Author Spotlight profiles are researched from public sources, not original interviews. We link back to primary sources where possible.
The Real Gorilla Behind the Book
The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate’s 2012 Newbery Medal-winning novel, is based on the true story of Ivan, a real gorilla who was kept alone in a shopping mall enclosure in Tacoma, Washington, for 27 years before being moved to Zoo Atlanta in 1994, where he lived until his death in 2012.
Why Applegate Told the Story From Ivan’s Perspective
The novel is narrated entirely in Ivan’s own voice: a structural choice that let Applegate explore his isolation and eventual advocacy for a fellow captive elephant without turning the book into a straightforward, sentimental non-fiction account. The approach is widely credited for making a difficult subject (decades of animal captivity in inadequate conditions) accessible to young readers without minimizing it.
A Career Built on Difficult Subjects for Young Readers
Applegate co-created the bestselling Animorphs series earlier in her career, and has continued to write middle-grade fiction that takes on subjects (captivity, homelessness, grief) that are often considered too heavy for the age group, consistently trusting younger readers with real emotional weight.
The Book’s Lasting Impact
Ivan’s real story, and the novel’s popularity, are widely credited with raising public awareness about roadside zoos and inadequate captive animal enclosures, well beyond what the original news coverage of his 1994 rescue achieved on its own.
Why She’s Worth Reading
If you want proof that a children’s book can carry real emotional and ethical weight without talking down to its readers, this is one of the clearest examples published in the last two decades.
Related: 5 Children’s Books Parents and Kids Both Love
Researched by the BookPros editorial team from public sources.
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