Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

I finished this last night as a read aloud with my 8 year old daughter. We are both huge Katherine Applegate fans and this one did not disappoint. I felt this book was a great conclusion to the Ivan story and Ruby's story needed to be told. As with all of Applegate's stories, this book worked great as a read-aloud because of the short stories, illustrations, and discussions that it invoked. This story is so full of fun and emotion. Fantastic book!

This is an adorable follow up to The One and Only Ivan and The One and Only Bob. I cannot wait for my students to get their hands on this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a review.

Faced with growing up and her traumatic experiences as a young elephant in Africa and the United States, Ruby faces her fear with help from her "Family of the Park" and through the power of sharing her story with friends.

Ruby and her story is a gift to us. Our gift to give the world is to listen to others in kindness.

"An elephant alone is not and elephant" the same applies to us...

I love and truly enjoyed this story. I read this to my 9 year old daughter who loves The One and Only Ivan, she enjoyed every minute of this story. My daughter’s favorite part is the friendship riddle. I really hope this becomes a movie.

A lovely third book in the One and Only Ivan series. While this book cannot stand without the original story, I think this was my favorite of the three! Ruby is sweet and naive, but also very smart. She’s coming to terms with what it means to be an elephant and what it means to grow up without some of those you love. This book made me laugh and definitely made me cry! I highly recommend to anyone who has read Ivan! If you haven’t read Ivan, go read it and then read Ruby’s story!

Oh, my heart! The One and Only Ruby is another successful novel from Katherine Applegate. We follow our main character, Ruby, as she wrestles with grief, confidence, and a sense of belonging. This might be geared towards middle grade students, but it also has many life lessons built in for adults as well. I recommend The One and Only Rudy for readers of all ages.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for this ARC.

thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

WOW. i think this may be the best book of the trilogy.

this book follows along as Ruby is approaching her Tuskday- a celebration that symbolizes growing up. but Ruby is having some complicated feelings about this day, and doesn’t think it’s a day worth celebrating. she visits with her uncles, Bob and Ivan, where she tells the story of how she ended up here in the park with them. through this story, Ruby comes to some realizations both about herself and her Tuskday.

a story of friendship, hardship, family (both blood and chosen).

what gifts did the world give you today?
what gifts did you give to the world?

This book is an automatic read for kids who loved The One and Only Ivan. As long as you've read the book about Ivan, you'll likely find this book acceptable. It's a continuation of the story of three animals whose lives intersected in a mall zoo. This book is all about Ruby the elephant.

The thing about The One and Only Ivan is that it was all fresh and new. It was a story of friendship, of three animals surviving their unfortunate circumstances precisely because they had each other. There were great supporting characters and interactions. We rooted for them. We cared for them. I gave that book 5 stars without hesitation.

This book is different. Although Ivan and Bob make appearances in the story, it's mostly about Ruby and her explanation for why she doesn't want to celebrate Tusk Day. The other elephants insist it's a rite of passage ceremony that she must go through. She's dreading it, and she feels compelled to explain why. To do so, she much go back to the beginning, to her birth in Africa. It's a sad story. A story of her herd, her mother and the humans who came to destroy and kidnap. All because of the tusks.

It's fine, just not the award winner Ivan was. It's a lesson about the plight of elephants rather than a story of friendship, which doesn't pack the same punch.

Katherine Applegate does not disappoint when sharing Ruby’s backstory. As with Ivan and Bob, Applegate provides us lessons on how to treat one another and how to make the world a better place. We should all be blessed to have the wisdom of elephants.

It was so nice to revisit Ivan, Bob and Ruby again in this wonderful story. I read "The Only and Only Ivan" every year to my classroom and it never fails bring tears to my eyes. Ruby brought so much joy to this group of unlikely animal friends and its nice to see their friendship continues even after their lives take a different turn. I love how all the books deal with real life animal rights issues and awareness is key. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Katherine Applegate has done it again! LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book, as much as Ivan & Bob's stories. Can't wait to get it into the hands of my readers!

There is so much that I enjoy about “The One and Only…” series. First and foremost is the story. I think it can be extremely difficult to write about animals and make them feel human or relatable. I think that there needs to be a connection to the characters and I love the way I am able to feel for the characters in this story. I have grown to really love them over the years. Another thing that I really like is how much kids adore these stories. When I read them to kids, they never want me to stop and always want more. I think kids will really love Ruby even more after getting to read about how she got to the place she’s at now. Lastly, I love how the author educates about the importance or these animals and the horrors that they experience but in a way for children to understand. I can’t wait to add this book to my classroom for kids to read and enjoy.

This is the third in a series of wonderful books about animal friends. Ruby is a baby elephant who now lives with friends Bob (dog) and Ivan (gorilla), as well as other elephants, in a sanctuary. Things were not always so great for Ruby, though, as we learn about her entire life in this volume. Ms. Applegate's writing is as descriptive and as creative as ever. Her characters come alive on the pages in unusual ways, especially since they are animals. Another 5-star winner! Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing an ARC.

This book is the sweetest! I’ve been a fan of Katherine Applegate for years, since I fell in love with the story, The One and Only Ivan. Then came The One and Only Bob, and now this one. I love elephants and not only was it a story of friendship and family, it taught me a lot about elephant behavior. I can’t wait to buy a copy for my classroom when it is released.

Fantastic book, just like all her others. Katherine Applegate knows how to bring things down to a kid's level while still speaking to adults. Her books really make you think. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

It was so sweet to hear Ruby’s story. This book is a visit with an old friend. And you get to learn about elephants! What a special book!

This was a fantastic book that hooks the reader from the first page. The first person point of view makes it interesting and is a great way for children to learn about the ways humans impact elephants.

I have to say that Katherine Applegate has been a favorite author of mine as a teenager, mother, and teacher. I first read “The One and Only Ivan” as a Battle of the Books coach. It was such a great book (with an equally great message) that I wrote a grant for a class set and was able to share it with my 8th grade students, who also loved it. I now work with elementary students who are very excited for this book to come out. I enjoyed getting to know more about Ruby’s backstory. It doesn’t come without some heartbreak that will lead to some important discussions/thinking. I feel that it was written in a way that it could be read as a standalone. I gave 4 stars instead of 5 because as an adult reader, I would have liked more details around the events in Ruby’s past, however I think it is just the right length for its intended audience. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”The One and Only Ruby.” in exchange for my honest opinion

The One and Only Ruby is the sequel to the One and Only Ivan - which was recently made into a fun movie! As well as a sequel to The One and Only Bob.  I used to read Katherine Applegate's teen books when I was a  teen, I guess I am regressing as this one is more geared towards the younger crowd, but since I enjoyed Ivan I had to see what ended up happening with Ruby... 

Ruby is a young elephant with a secret.  She has started being called "Tusky" by her family because her tusks are coming in - but she hates her tusks.  Ruby is no longer living at the mall, but she is still with her Uncle Ivan at the Zoo.  She ends up telling the story of when she was born and growing up in Africa.

This was a really sweet story about how you can't stop yourself from growing up, but it's ok to think about the past and the loved ones you've lost along the way as well, as they helped you to get there.

 I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

At first I was skeptical that we needed another one of these. The One and Only Ivan was really good and we COULD have stopped there. However, this was still really good and honestly could stand on its own apart from the rest of the series (though of course the others help flesh out the back story and side characters) Touching story about family, growing up, and even a delicate treatment of trauma. This was somehow very deep but also "age appropriate" at the same time.