Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

Reviewed by Lori

 Half Brother
Title:  Half Brother

Author: Kenneth Oppel

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 45359

Description: In 1973, when a renowned Canadian behavioural psychologist pursues his latest research project, an experiment to determine whether chimpanzees can acquire advanced language skills, he brings home a baby chimp named Zan and asks his thirteen-year-old son to treat Zan like a little brother.
*** Canadian ***

Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It

Why I Read It:  I thought the premise of this story was quite interesting.  The cover art is great.  Simple and exactly what the book is about.

Lori's Notes:  Zan (short for Tarzan) comes to live with Ben’s family as part of a social experiment.  Can a chimpanzee be raised to be part of a human family?  Not wanting a brother, Ben doesn’t want to be involved, but Zan eventually wins him over.  Soon Ben is his biggest advocate.  When the experiment looks like it will fail, Ben’s mother and father look to sell Zan to an institution.  But when Ben learns that Zan will likely become an animal test subject, he finds he cannot abandon his half brother.  Ben is the most compassionate member of his family; he is willing to do whatever he must in order to ensure Zan’s safety - even if it means standing up to his parents.

Recommended Readers:  Grade 7 and Up.  A good book for classes looking to study a Canadian Author.

Themes: Family, Relationships, Compassion, Doing what is Right, Chimpanzee/Human Relationships, Animal Testing, Animal Communication, Growing Up.

Cross-Genre Links:
Movie: Project X (1987) starring Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt
Movie: Chimpanzee (2012) Disney Nature
Music: Shock the Monkey by Peter Gabriel
Media Search: “Ikea Monkey”
Wikipedia Article: Nim Chimpsky

Possible Discussion or Essay Topics:
  • What moral responsibility does Ben’s Family have toward Zan? 
  • Should people be allowed to own wild animals? 
  • What are the implications of animal testing?  (Discuss both sides)
  • After being an only child for 13 years, how does bringing Zan into the family change Ben?

 Other Support Materials:




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