Status Report

Following up on our post from yesterday, K.A. Applegate has also made it onto Publishers Weekly for her upcoming book The One and Only Ivan.

In her bestselling Animorphs series, Katherine Applegate introduced teens with the ability to morph into any animal they touch. She offers a very different take on an animal story in The One and Only Ivan, due from Harper in January. The novel is based on a real-life silverback gorilla born in Africa that lived in a glass box for 27 years as an attraction in a circus-themed mall in Tacoma, Wash., before being transferred to Zoo Atlanta, where he still resides. Ivan’s story made a splash in the media and caught the attention of Applegate, who talks about how her novel came to be.

…

Do you view this novel as a departure for you, in terms of subject and writing style?

I’d say it parallels some of the feeling of Animorphs. In those books, I got to explore what it was like to feel like an animal, so on that level it’s channeling the same kind of thing. Stylistically, this novel is more similar to Home of the Brave [Feiwel and Friends, 2007], which I wrote from the point of view of a refugee of Sudan.

Are there more animal books in your future?

Absolutely! I’m now writing a novel from a dog’s point of view. It’s one of the novels I was working on when I digressed to Ivan. It’s another middle-grade animal fantasy.

You seem to be quite at home in that genre.

Yes, I love those books. I grew up reading and rereading Charlotte’s Web and anything by Jean Craighead George. I loved any book that had to do with animals. As a writer, maybe I’ve finally found the place I’m happiest. It only took me 20 years. Maybe I’m a slow learner?

You can read the entire article at publishersweekly.com.

Thanks to Jordan for letting us know, there’s a new book by K.A. Applegate called The One and Only Ivan. It is being released January 17th 2012, and can be pre-ordered via Amazon. Here is the official summary and cover:

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope.

Next, we have fan-made book covers! Since book covers are a very big discussion topic in the community with the current relaunch, I thought it’d be interesting to share a few alternates that the fans have made themselves:

The first one is by Theresa Shreffler from DeviantArt, who is now also a published YA author herself!

Notice the subtle scales on the face, and reptilian-like eyes and fingers. It gets the point across really well without feeling gimmicky, and is something that I can actually see sitting on the YA shelves today.
 

The next one is by Katie Mazikins, a student at MICA. Look closely at the textured background, typography, and cover animal. I like the minimalist redesign, and can see these selling really well for us older fans especially (in volume hardcovers please!). You can see even more Animorphs covers by her on Flickr and Twitter in a similar redesign.

That’s all for now. If you think there’s a cover redesign or piece of Animorphs artwork worth sharing, then let us know in the comments below!

Marco never wanted to be an Animorph. He didn’t want the ability to change into any animal he touches. And he certainly didn’t want to be one of a handful of kids that are the planet’s only defense against a secret alien army. His friends know why he feels the way he does. He’s worried about his dad — the only family Marco has left. If anything happens to him, his father will be alone. But something big is about to change for Marco. Something that could finally give him a reason to fight.

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The next book will be Animorphs #6: The Capture and it will be released March 01, 2012. Links are up on our order page. Also, if you haven’t already, then take a look at our update from yesterday. Scholastic has released a new writing contest along with Animorphs #5, with the grand prize of autographed Animorphs books from K.A. Applegate, and a Nintendo 3DS!