Review
This one took me by surprise. I wasn't particularly excited by the premise but it seemed different and so I thought I'd see what it was like. Half Brother is definitely something I'd recommend for any Young Adult reader. I was a little apprehensive about reading about a 13 year old, but Ben's emotions and thoughts felt older and they were definitely powerful. Ben was just as interesting as his Chimpanzee brother, Zan. It is a coming of age novel and his emotions were very realistic. The relationships in this novel are very deep and there are a lot of issues with his friends, father, mother, student carers for Zan and of course Zan himself. The romance in this book regarding Ben and Jennifer adds something to the novel without being too 'fluffy'. A lot of ethical issues were covered in this novel regarding keeping wild animals as pets and also experimentation on novels. There is a lot that can be discussed and this book is certainly thought provoking. I found Ben and Zan's loyalty and love for each other to be very touching and made for a powerful story. There isn't anything I can really fault with this and I was eager to keep on reading. I'd certainly recommend this on
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