Pages 75-89

• When Stella and Julia turn their attentions to Ruby, Bob calls Ivan "old news" (p. 75). Is this true? Have you ever felt ignored by someone you care about? How did you feel? Were you able to resolve the situation? Any pointers for Ivan?

• On page 82, Ivan notes that, "Stella looks so happy. It's more fun to watch than any nature show I've ever seen on TV." What about Ruby makes Stella so happy? And why does Ivan find such joy in seeing Stella happy? Have you ever felt like this?

• When George tells Mack to take a look at Stella's injured foot, Mack says, "I'll keep an eye on it. Money's tight, though." (p. 89) Do you think this line is significant? In what way?

Pages 90-105

• Ruby says that her favorite jokes are "jokes about elephants" (p. 91), though when Ivan tells her one, much of the joke doesn't land. What are your favorite jokes? What's something or someone who is always able to make you laugh? If you picked a person, what does that person mean to you?

• Bob says that "sometimes you just need to dig for the sake of digging." (p. 102) Is there anything that you do for no reason at all? What? Have you ever thought about why you just do certain things? Is there anything that you think you're simply "wired" to do?

• As Ruby tells her story of the time she fell into a hole, the other animals have prejudged the worst of the humans, but it turned out that these humans were nice. They saved her. We seem to be predisposed as a species to share bad news rather than good. Why? Have you heard any stories of human kindness recently? If you have any, share some Stella-like stories about people working together to do good. 

Pages 106-120

• When Stella can't leave her domain, Ruby becomes a hit in the ring. What do you think this means for Ruby's future at the Big Top Mall? What about Stella's future? Is this a good thing? A bad one? Why might Ivan not know "whether to be happy or sad"? (p. 107)

• Ivan promises Stella that he'll take care of Ruby. Why do you think this is such a hard promise to make, one that, in comparison, "would be easier to promise to stop eating, to stop breathing, to stop being a gorilla" (p. 113)? Have you ever made an important promise before? Was it hard to keep?

• At the start of the novel, being called The One and Only Ivan was a way to try and entice visitors to come to the mall. Now, though, Bob uses the title in a different way. How has the title changed? What effect does it have on Ivan?

Pages 121-137

• Ivan's memory isn't like Stella's. He doesnt remember much about being a baby gorilla, or at least, he's convinced himself he doesn't. What do you think Ivan will remember? Have you ever lied about remembering something? Why? Why might Ivan make an exception for Ruby and try to remember for her?

• Back in Africa, Ivan's name was Mud. His parents gave him this name because he made pictures from mud. His sister's name was Tag beause she loved to play tag with Mud (Ivan). Is there a story behind your name? If you don't know, find out! There might not be one, but there might. 

• For a while, Mack and his wife, Helen, raised Ivan like a human baby. What changed? What do you think caused Mack to bring Ivan to the Big Top Mall?