Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
Hi, I’m Clive. I am 13. I love playing basketball, soccer, and reading sci-fi.
Being a kid is hard for Ben. Especially when your brother is a chimpanzee. Ben had just moved when his mom brought a chimpanzee back home. As if Ben didn’t already have enough to think about, with starting a new school and meeting new friends, this chimp was to be taught sign language to communicate with humans!
At first, Ben resents the chimp, who they name Zan, and the entirety of the experiment itself. Even worse, Zan hates being forced to act like a human child. He throws off his diapers and screeches and bites at people who come near him. Over time, Ben’s hatred for Zan slowly develops into love and pity for him. Ben becomes desperate to teach Zan his first word. When he does, Zan can’t stop learning words.
Ben, however, is horrified at the chair the scientists strap Zan into. Ben’s Dad is also unsatisfied with the pace of Zan’s learning. Ben’s Dad decides he will sell Zan to a chimpanzee sanctuary in Nevada. Once Ben gets there, he can tell that the sanctuary is awful, but his dad says that it is fine. Ben has to stand up and be brave for Zan, risking everything to make sure Zan will no longer be tested on. That’s what a “half brother” would do, right? In my opinion, this book is amazing. It covers many common themes in books, like love, trying to fit in, learning to face a problem, and more. Now normally, books like this aren’t necessarily up my alley, but this one spoke to me, maybe because of the teen protagonist.
