The novel The One and Only Ivan has been selected for the second annual Evergreen Reads community reading program, which invites the entire village to read the same book, at the same time.

This village-wide book club – which is co-sponsored by Evergreen Park Elementary School District 124 and the Evergreen Park Public Library – has been established to give everyone in the village the opportunity to share the experience of reading and discussing the same book.

The One and Only Ivan tells the story of a silverback gorilla named Ivan who lives in a cage at a mall. The novel is written in first person from the point of view of Ivan, the gorilla. The book was written by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Patricia Perez. First published in 2012, The One and Only Ivan has since earned several prestigious literary awards, including the Newbery Medal, and has found a place on Kirkus Review's, the School Library Journal's, Chicago Public Library's, and Amazon's "Best Books" lists for 2012.

Students enrolled in EPSD 124 will be introduced to the book in school. All other readers in the village, of all ages, are welcome to purchase a copy of the book ($5.59 on Amazon) and participate in the community-wide event.

Those reading are urged to post photos with the book on social media using #EvergreenReads. Select photos will be displayed on the website www.EvergreenReads.com, where more information on the program can also be found.

 For more information, please contact EPSD 124 Communications Coordinator Alex Mayster at (708) 423-0950 or email [email protected].