Half Brother

                                     

Published in 2010, Half Brother is a historical fiction written by Kenneth Oppel.  The story, which takes place in 1970, is about a young boy named Ben Tomlin and his new brother brought home for a science experiment.  Ben’s new “little brother” is actually an eight-day-old chimpanzee named Zan that his parents are trying to teach sign language to.  During this book, Ben learns to accept and love Zan as part of the family and will do anything to keep Zan safe.  “The best friendships are the unlikely ones” and “everlasting love” are common themes in this book.  Ben doesn’t like Zan at first and is jealous of all the attention he is getting from his parents, soon, an inseparable bond between Ben and Zan is made. 

The book is told in first person point of view from Ben’s perspective.  When Bens mom brings home a new part of the family who is…well…not exactly human, Ben is jealous at first but becomes a close brother to Zan.  Later, Ben risks his life to save his chimp brother from a mistake his parents made.  The intended audience was meant for grade level 6-7.  The genre is historical fiction because the experiment Bens parents are working on was a part of history to discover if it was possible to communicate to chimps; our closest relative.  The author keeps the reader interested in the book by toying with emotions and foreshadowing.  How will Zan react when someone new steps into the picture or what will happen when there are no more funds to support him?  The author uses some descriptive words to communicate to the reader what Ben is feeling and the intensity set in some scenes of the book.  Communication plays a huge part in this book, not only Zan learning sign language, but also Ben’s relationship with his father and peers.  This helps the intended audience understand the relationships between characters.

This book affected me by showing me the true importance of strong relationships and how much they can change our goals and importance in life - stretching our limits.  The book didn’t change any of my ideas but it fits in with what I think with the ideas of animal abuse and the strong will of love.   I have not read another book like this but it relates well to real world examples and the past of science.

The love and hate between the relationships in this book were displayed very well and draws the reader in.  The reading level was too simple and I did not realize the intended audience until after I read the book. 

Lila Kirkendall

Mr. Lankford

11/3/13

Rating: **** 4/5