This was a great story, beautifully
told. I love how it shows all children we can overcome all obstacles thrown at us. We can find the positive to anything we face. This was
a wonderful edition to the first two stories in her series.
There are So many favorite moments & quotes for me in this story. My favorite is
when Ruby is remembering Aunt Stella:
" So, " she would say, “ what amazed you
today, sweet girl? ”
" I mean, " said Aunt Stella, " what surprised you today? What filledbyou with wonder? What made you feel awe? That's what I mean by 'amazed.' Anything can be amazing, Ruby. Anything and everything. "

I am hooked on this quote and want to share it with the world. I think its uplifting and so meaningful.
This is a wonderful children's book & I think a great read aloud together as a family. Take this opportunity to read with your child and this book and series is perfect.

I have loved the One and Only books by Katherine Applegate and this one is no different. An important message of perseverance and friendship. Ruby’s story is brought to life and shows what a brave little elephant can become no matter how young.

Such a good book! Read it each night with my six year old before bedtime and she really enjoyed it as well. Can't go wrong with Kathrine Applegate!

While this book was cute and a quick read like the first two in the series, I did think it wasn't super necessary--the biggest purpose it served for me was telling Ruby's story and giving her more of a voice, as the last member of the trio. However, much of the book was Ruby just telling others about her past and her story. I'm not a huge fan of backstory being told by characters to other characters, as I think there are more interesting ways of telling them, so I did get a little bored when she was just speaking. Still a cute book that I think children who enjoyed the first two will devour, but it wasn't my favorite of the three.

The anxiety of Tuskday--a coming of age ceremony celebrated by elephants--prompts Ruby to share the memories of her time in Africa.

This is a quick, heartfelt read and Applegate is adept at tackling topics such as death and poaching in a way that kids can understand. Although, this title isn't on par with The One and Only Ivan, it is still a worthwhile read and fans of the previous books in the serious will gravitate to this title.

I'm so glad to have Ruby's story! Ivan has long been a favorite and Bob too. This trio of books is so charming. The One And Only Ruby is an absolute delight. I cannot recommend this series enough.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this book.

A very sweet and thoughtful companion to The One and Only Ivan. This book tells the story about elephant Ruby and how she started life on the African Savannah.

I felt oddly ambiguous about The One and Only Bob, but I am clear about my opinion of the third installment of the Ivan series in that I thoroughly enjoyed it. What a sweet and beautiful continuation that gently exposes young readers to the suffering wild animals endure at the hands of humans.

As Ruby reluctantly prepares for her Tuskday—a ritual to celebrate maturing elephants and the importance of community—she finally shares with her friends her earliest memories from Africa which includes the loss of her mother. I love how this ultimately helps Ivan cope with the grief he feels from Stella’s passing. So many good things to say about this one!

Any child with a tender heart toward animals will enjoy this story, and perhaps it will move others to consider the relationship humans have with other animals. I likely would have been obsessed with this book as a kid.

Grateful to @harpercollins and @netgalley for the ARC.

Once more, let me say that reading and reviewing anything by Katherine Applegate is always a pleasure and a privilege and I am a great fan of her work. This is the third volume in her series about Ivan, Bob, and little Ruby and gives considerable insight into the background of the character of Ruby, who as an infant elephant, was previously too young to be much of a reliable narrator in the saga of The Onlys. In this book which focus’s on her perspective rather than the adults, Ivan , Stella, and Bob, she struggles to articulate how growing up , and in particularly, the growth of her elephant tusks, is a situation she has difficult and mixed feelings about and must recount her earliest memories up to the point of meeting Ivan, Stella, and Bob in order to explain how she views what other elephants consider a celebration with hesitation and even resentment. It’s a beautiful new chapter in this lovely saga that allows room for growth and character exploration while touching on only too real tragedies that befall elephants and other wildlife, such as losing one’s family to human cruelty and the horrors of the illegal ivory trade. I love how this book can draw a parallel to so many coming of age situations a human child might have and how they might see growing up as something to be uneasy about, and how we never forget the people we lose but carry them with us in our hearts. No one is forgotten as long as we can tell their stories and cherish their memories. This book is enchanting, lyrical, touching and in turns, sad and little heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting . A great addition to any child , young adult or adult animal lover’s library.

"Morning is like a gift you get to open every single day."

I enjoyed this sad but sweet story about Ruby, the young elephant that is learning about what it means to grow up and that even though the world can be a scary place with lots of bad happening, it is also a beautiful place with wonderfully supportive people both in the human world and the animal world.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read it in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book, and the entire series brings up so many emotions. I fully love this series and this book is a wonderful addition! I used to live near the mall where these animals were kept. Breaks my heart to read these books but oh, such joy as well! No words can’ describe the story of what these animals went through but somehow these books summarize it perfectly. We all need an Aunt Stella, Ivan, Bob and Ruby in our lives. Excellent illustrations and well deserved awards are going to be handed out for this book!

Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley! I read this book voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

In the third book in the series, we are back at the conservation center with our three favorite animals, Ivan, Bob, and sweet Ruby. In this story, she is growing up and has started to grow her tusks. This is a major milestone and a day of celebration for the herd. They call it Tuskday. Ruby should be excited…but she isn’t. We follow Ruby as she talks to Ivan, Bob, and her aunties about her past and how she came to be at the conservation center.

There is an old saying that goes “an elephant never forgets”. That is precisely why this book was so excellent! Where Ivan and Bob only remembered bits and pieces of their stories, Ruby remembers every detail of her past. She recalls her life in Africa with her original herd when she tells her story. Her story touches on how African elephants are endangered and the horrors of the ivory trade. We also got to see firsthand the effects of poaching on the African elephant population. My favorite aspect of the book is the way the herd is portrayed, both in Africa and at the conservation center. Her newfound aunties are all dynamic characters and they truly love Ruby. This book was filled with beautiful prose, well-developed characters, and important life lessons. When I turned the last page, I yelled because I was ready for more! This was a great addition to The One and Only Ivan series.

The One and Only Ruby is the third book in the One and Only Ivan series by Katherine Applegate. When I was approved by @Netgalley to receive an ARC of this book, I could not have been more thrilled. The One and Only Ivan is a staple read aloud for me. Students in my class have been begging for Ruby’s story to be written.

While, the One and Only Bob is more of a comical story, the One and Only Ruby has serious and more somber issues than the former. The tone was more reminiscent of Ivan. I love books that tug at the heart strings and this is one. I cannot wait to read it aloud to my third graders and hear their opinion!

This will be a wonderful addition to both of my libraries. Katherine Applegate does a wonderful job of sharing Ruby's touching story. It picks up where we left off after The One and Only Bob and continues to share the story of these wonderful friends.

Through flashbacks we get to find out Ruby's story and how she ended up with Ivan at the mall. I loved how Katherine Applegate weaves in information about the challenges that elephants face in Africa. It is a great way for children to learn about this, while reading a touching story. A must read for all Ivan fans.

Katherine Applegate transports us once more back to the world of Ivan, Bob, and Ruby, this time from Ruby's point of view. This is a great companion novel, especially since it addresses how Ruby is growing up. This does have a hard time standing on its own, but will definitely delight fans of the series.

I was so thrilled to see Applegate come out with another book in the The One and Only Ivan series. My students and I have adored Ivan and Bob's stories, and it was wonderful to see that Ruby would get her own, as well.

As her Tuskday approaches, Ruby finds herself more and more nervous. She doesn't love her tusks like everyone else. Why should she, when she's seen how much pain is caused because of elephant tusks? She finds herself confiding in her old friends Ivan and Bob--which leads us on a journey into Ruby's past.

Ruby's story is full of heartache and hope, villains and heroes. I love seeing Ruby interact with her new herd and the visitors to the zoo...I wish there had been more of that.

The only reason this isn't a 5-star read for me is that Ruby's story is told to us after the fact. I almost wonder if this installment would have worked better as a prequel so we could live Ruby's experiences right along with her.

Still an excellent addition, though, and I know my students are going to love it.

Like Ivan, Ruby stole my heart in this wonderful book. It was entertaining and a quick read that will definitely help advance the cause of environmentalism.

While I think The One and Only Bob was a more successful sequel in the spirit of Ivan, I did love getting all of Ruby's backstory - and being reminded that elephants remember everything. This is a lovely way to conclude the stories of these amazing characters; it's particularly great to get to see that everyone is in a good place. A must if you've read the others.

“Both of those names got left behind in Africa, like so many things.” -From the One and Only Ruby

4.5 stars

The third installment of this series did not disappoint. Like the other two, I laughed, cried and had a whole range of emotions. I love how Ruby’s voice is so distinct from our last two main characters, and even from the other elephants. There is only one Ruby! Even though it is a series, readers wouldn’t be confused reading this one without the other two, that would just add to the back story. A lot of the plot is a look back on some things that happened to Ruby (before meeting Ivan, Stella, and Bob) which wasn’t my favorite choice (especially because it’s so sad) but it made sense with the Tuskday plot. If you are a fan of found family animal books you will love this one.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my honest review. What a beautiful continuation to "The One and Only..." books! This time Ruby gets to be the focus and Applegate delivers her story in a heartfelt, emotional telling that features themes perfect for teaching children empathy, sympathy, bravery, grief and so much more. I love how Applegate's books always have an understated moral to the story. Her light approach to that moral allows children to FEEL and come to their own conclusions. There's no preaching about right and wrong, but instead, a heartfelt parable that gets the meaning across. I loved this story, and I know my children will, too!