Half Brother
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When Ben Tomlin’s mother brings home his “new baby brother,” an eight-day-old chimpanzee, Ben is far from thrilled. His father, a renowned behavioural scientist, has uprooted the family and moved them halfway across the country, to Victoria, B.C., so he can pursue a high-profile experiment -- to determine whether chimpanzees can learn human sign language.
The chimp, named Zan, must be raised exactly like a human. He’s dressed in clothes and fed in a high chair and has a room full of toys. Ben is soon smitten. Joining the team of students who are helping with the experiment, Ben becomes both researcher and adored older brother.
Within months, Zan learns his first signs and becomes a media sensation. At his new school, Ben’s life seems similarly charmed as he vies for the attention of the beautiful Jennifer -- using his newly acquired scientific observational skills.
But when Project Zan unexpectedly loses its funding, Ben’s father is under huge pressure to either make the experiment succeed or abandon it -- and Zan. Unable to convince his father that Zan is now part of the family, Ben must risk everything he knows and everyone he loves in order to save his baby brother.
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Author Extras
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Critical Praise for
Half Brother
“…what sets this novel apart from other compelling stories, and Oppel's other works, is the fresh perspective it has on the themes of humanity, family, and choice. Highly Recommended.”
- CM Magazine
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“This is a poignant and powerful story that challenges readers to reflect on the meaning of family and on our relationship with, and responsibility towards, the creatures with whom we share the earth. It is a complex family drama, and a profoundly sweet coming-of-age story. But most of all, it is a heartwarming, bittersweet story of the deep and lasting bond between a boy and his little brother.”
- Canadian Children’s Book News
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“Even as it entertains, Half Brother leaves readers with plenty to consider about the way humans behave toward the many species that share our planet.”
- Quill & Quire
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“This is a wonderful piece of fiction, which should attract both male and female readers, young adult and adult alike, while maintaining an adventurous plot line. Definitely a winner!”
- Resource Link
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“Kenneth Oppel's standalone novel for young adults, Half Brother, is a compulsively readable, extraordinarily gripping and moving book....it's Oppel's ability to realise the complexity of Ben's emotions towards his ‘half brother' which makes it a triumph.”
- The Bookseller (UK)
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“...a top-notch read.”
- School Library Journal (US)
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“...what sets this novel apart from other compelling stories, and Oppel's other works, is the fresh perspective it has on the themes of humanity, family, and choice. Readers will be challenged to think about right and wrong, choice and apathy, nature and nurture, and, love and betrayal. (4/4 stars Highly Recommended.)”
- Canadian Materials
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“A moving, original novel that readers will want to ponder and discuss.”
- Booklist (US)
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“Kenneth Oppel has once again created a riveting and thought-provoking tale in his new book, Half Brother....It is impossible to put the book down.”
- Ottawa Citizen
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“Half Brother is fast-moving, engagingly told and smart...”
- The Globe and Mail
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“...highly recommended...”
- VOYA (US)
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“Oppel's story is filled with compassion...”
- Publishers Weekly (US)
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“Toronto's Kenneth Oppel, who set this story in 1973-75, has created a thought-provoking tale that deals not only with the stuff of sibling rivalry, fitting in, teenage sexual awareness and coming of age, but also with such complicated issues as animal rights vs. scientific study.”
- Montreal Gazette
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“I fell in love with Ben, a budding primatologist stuck in junior high. I ate up the all-too-real family dynamics. I adored the tangled scientific and moral questions. But mostly I fell for a great story. Half Brother broke my heart and I was happy to let it.”
- Guelph Mercury
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“Oppel's plainly done a whack of research on primates and their abilities, and the animal rights twist in the tale gives it real urgency. A very engaging read – and not for young adults only.”
- NOW Magazine
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“...long after they've forgotten Ben's lame parents or the shag carpeting, readers may be pushed to consider their own relationships with animals, and whether the lines between pet, possession, and meat are blurrier than they expected.”
- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (US)
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