Reading 6 · the parking lot to the one and only ivan

The One and Only Ivan

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

“I’ve never asked for a promise before, because promises are forever, and forever is an unusually long time. Especially when you’re in a cage.”

When I gaze at the food-court skylight, the moon Stella loved is shrouded in clouds.

Read both passages aloud. Right after the first, Ivan changes Stella’s word “cage” to “Domain,” and she agrees. Why do you think she agrees?

Discussion

Narration Tell this reading back in order, from the cars in the parking lot to the moon behind the clouds. Which part matters most to you, and why?

1. Ruby says bad humans sent her here, and good humans saved her from the hole. Bob says that makes no sense. Does it make sense to you?Theme

2. All day, Ruby has stayed close to Stella. Then Stella whispers in her ear, and Ruby goes into the ring alone. What do you think Stella told her?Inference

3. Stella never says her wish. She finally says, “Never mind,” and blames the pain. But Ivan guesses it anyway. Why doesn’t he just let it go?Character

4. Ivan would give “all the yogurt raisins in all the world for a heart made of ice.” Would he be better off with one?Theme

5. Ivan hears that Stella’s body was tossed into a garbage truck. Then he says, “It took five men and a forklift.” He never tells us how he feels. Which word in those lines shows it best?Author's choice

6. After Stella dies, George runs to Mack about the vet. Later his cheeks are wet, and he doesn’t meet Ivan’s eyes. Who is George most upset with?Character

Make a Connection Think of a story you know where someone makes a big promise without knowing how to keep it. What happens to that promise?

Vocabulary

Crossword

1
					2
3		4
				5


	6
				7

			8

Across

Across 1. Worn out and very tired.
Across 3. More than is normal or expected.
Across 6. A movement of the body that shows a meaning.
Across 7. Able to be trusted to get things right.
Across 8. To sag or hang down, as from sadness or tiredness.

Down

Down 2. Covered and hidden from sight.
Down 4. Mixed up and unable to think clearly.
Down 5. Better than others in some way.

The words in the chapter

weary She sounds weary.
unusually I’ve never asked for a promise before, because promises are forever, and forever is an unusually long time.
addled The pain is making me addled.
gesture Stella nods, a small gesture that makes her wince.

superior Stella once teased me that elephants are superior because they feel more joy and more grief than apes.
reliable Bob heard from a rat, a reliable sort, that they tossed Stella’s body into a garbage truck.
droop His shoulders droop.
shrouded When I gaze at the food-court skylight, the moon Stella loved is shrouded in clouds.

Critical thinking

1. To comfort Ruby, Ivan thinks of three things he could say. He can only be sure that the last one is true. Should he say the other two anyway?

2. Ivan promised Stella that Ruby would have a safe place, and now he says, “I can’t save Ruby.” Was Ivan right to make that promise?