Half Brother Sparknotes

Half Brother is a realistic fiction novel written by Kenneth Oppel. This book follows the life of 13-year-old Ben Tomlin and his parents.

On Ben’s 13th birthday, his parents bring home a baby chimpanzee named Zan. Ben's family doesn’t live in Africa though; they live in suburban British Columbia. Ben's father, a behavioral psychologist, has abruptly moved them from their home in Toronto to start a new research project around whether chimps can be taught to communicate with humans. At first, Ben is tentative about this new "family member" and having to share his parents' attention but soon develops a strong bond with the chimp. Zan is treated just like a child would, except for the fact that he is watched by volunteers who teach him sign language throughout the day. Shortly after, the project is suddenly shut down after Ben’s father decides Zan is mimicking the signs, not learning a language. Zan is forced to move to Dr. Helson’s Chimp Ranch, which leaves Ben heartbroken. However, when he discovers that Dr. Helson is planning to sell Zan for biomedical research, Ben decides and manages to steal Zan. This story makes its way up to the media and Dr. Helson returns him to Ben’s family. Zan is then moved to a nature reserve for chimps.

Since Ben is only a young teenager, his opinions and voice are not considered or taken seriously by any of

I could really relate to what Ben goes through in the book. It is very hard to doubt that there will not be a happy ending but the opposite takes place as Oppel’s writing is full of surprises. However, I wish that Oppel had made Ben’s voice more distinctive. Like most teen novels, Half Brother is narrated by its hero, but his language is so plain it’s hard to get a handle on him as an individual. I think teens are different from this and would welcome a unique voice. Overall, readers may find this book inspiring along with a healthy new respect for our closest genetic