The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan focuses in on a gorilla named Ivan who lives in a strip mall zoo. He doesn't think his life is so bad; he has his friends and he gets to create art for the people who visit the zoo. It is only when Ruby, a young elephant, joins him at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade that Ivan begins to question everything he once thought about his home. Told in short diary-like entries, The One and Only Ivan will pull at your heart strings and at times rip it completely out of your chest, but also fill you up with such happy, hopeful fluttering feelings. It is a fantastic, wonderful read. I cannot recommend it enough.