October 17, 2012

Half Brother Book Review

Hi, we are from Division 16 and we are here to talk about a book we have been reading as a class called ”Half Brother.” It is by Kenneth Oppel and is a story about Ben, a boy whose life is turned upside down when he moves to Victoria and gets a baby Chimpanzee named Zan as his brother. The goal of the story is that Ben’s father is trying to teach Zan American Sign Language. The story touches on some deep and complex subjects while maintaining a good atmosphere for the reader. However, this book is not a predictable one and will throw you around while Ben tries to figure out his new life.

While not blatantly obvious, Half Brother’s conflicts aren’t very simple. While at first sight the conflict looks like how he has to live his life with a baby chimp named Zan, Ben actually copes with this very well early on in the story. In fact, Ben and Zan come attached to each other quickly, the bad thing is that Ben’s father only sees Zan as a subject and a test and not much else. Another conflict is Ben’s love life, Jennifer.

As Ben takes you through a wild ride on his experiences, you will be sure to enjoy this book. If you haven’t already, make sure to pick up this awesome book at a library or store near you. Recommended for Grade 5 and up. We will post a blog entry later after our field trip to the Writers Festival on Thursday to meet the author.

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