Better Than Charlotte's Web?

Earlier this year I stumbled upon http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/ and fell in love with the daily entries from various readers. This lead to my following of many of these educators and book lovers on Twitter. Twitter has become my new favorite way to find out about books. The best part? Its FAST! Writers can't go on and on and on about a book. They have a limited number of characters in which to review a book!
That's where I first heard about The One and Only Ivan. It was being read by many as an ARC.....well, I'm not on anyone's ARC list...yet! So, the weekend it was released I bought it! I don't usually do that, but everyone was raving about this novel. One writer even said this book will replace Charlotte's Web as the best 4th grade novel!! I have come to agree, but could include 6th graders in that comment too. The "read it next" list in my classroom for this book is the longest I have ever seen and not one of the 20 kids who have read it so far this year have been dissappointed.

5 of 5 stars for The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Ivan is a silverback gorilla living at a highway circus. He has a very limited life, but only comes to realize this when a baby elephant comes to live in the exhibit also. Ivan promises an elderly elephant that he will save Ruby...but how? Ivan now has a mission and a reason for a better life than his solitary glass enclosure. Told in short narrative chunks, each titled by subject, the book is easy for lower readers to digest but will also grab your more advanced readers with themes of friendship, loyalty, and animal cruelty.