Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate
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Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate
Best Ebook Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate
In her first novel since The One and Only Ivan, winner of the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.
Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.
Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?
Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary.
Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate- Amazon Sales Rank: #1054 in Books
- Published on: 2015-09-22
- Released on: 2015-09-22
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 7.78" h x .91" w x 5.41" l, .65 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 256 pages
From School Library Journal Gr 4–6—In her first novel since the Newbery-winning The One and Only Ivan (HarperCollins, 2012), Applegate tells the story of a 10-year-old boy whose imaginary friend helps him cope with a family crisis. Jackson, his parents, and his five-year-old sister once again are staring down the barrel of an impending eviction notice. What frustrates Jackson isn't just the lack of money: it's his artistically minded parents' tendency to gloss over their woes with humor and cheer rather than acknowledging the reality of their situation. It's understandably a shock to Jackson when an old friend reappears: Crenshaw, a seven-foot-tall talking cat, who first came into his life several years ago when the boy and his family were living out of their car shortly after his father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Skeptical Jackson tries to dismiss Crenshaw as a figment of his imagination, but the cat's words of wisdom start to resonate with him. Employing sparse but elegant prose, Applegate has crafted an authentic protagonist whose self-possession and maturity conceal relatable vulnerability and fears. While sardonic Crenshaw may not be the warm and cuddly imaginary friend readers are expecting, he's the companion that Jackson truly needs as he begins to realize that he doesn't need to carry the weight of the world upon his shoulders. Though the ending wraps up a shade too neatly, overall, children will appreciate this heartbreaking novel. VERDICT A compelling and unflinchingly honest treatment of a difficult topic.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal
Review
“This accessible and moving novel demonstrates how the creative resilience of a child's mind can soften difficult situations, while exploring the intersection of imagination and truth.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The tone is warm and, occasionally, quirkily funny, but it doesn't sugarcoat the effects of hunger and vulnerability. This novel adds a middle-grade perspective to the literature of imaginary friends and paints a convincing and compassionate portrait of a social class―the working poor―underrepresented in children's books.” ―The Horn Book, starred review
About the Author Katherine Applegate is the author of the bestselling Animorphs series, and the novels Home of the Brave and The One and Only Ivan, winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal. She lives with her husband, author Michael Grant, and their two children in Northern California.
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Most helpful customer reviews
88 of 91 people found the following review helpful. an enjoyable read, despite a dark topic (and not too scary) By Amazon Customer This book does a phenomenal job of being engaging and fun despite material that could so-easily delve into dark and disturbing. The author walks that precise line of creating empathy without creating too much distress for young readers. I have no qualms letting my 10-year-old or even 8-year-old read this one. It *does* talk about homelessness and its side effects for a young child, but somehow the imaginary friend (who's introduced in the first line as a surfboarding cat who's holding an umbrella) makes things lighthearted and safe, even while you recognize that he's a sign of emotional distress.FOR PARENTS - CONTAINS SPOILERSIf your child is sensitive (like mine are), it may help to know that the imaginary friend is silly enough to break up the tension on a regular basis. Many of the most-difficult moments of the book happen in the past (from the previous time this boy had to live in the van with his family and their puppy for 14 weeks), so you know they eventually made it out. And although he mentions having seen his dad cry (the only time he had seen such a thing), most of the darker moments focus on things like the van being smelly, or how he didn't like his younger sister kicking him in her sleep (so he decorated a cardboard panel to put in between them). There's a lot of generosity/kindness from strangers, which helps a lot even though they *were* still living in a van, which keeps you empathizing with them but not spiraling into despair. There are also a couple of places where he says "I know other people have it much, much worse, but I still hate this," which again triggers empathy and understanding, without minimizing what anyone has to go through... making you aware of those darker stories, but not taking you into them. Finally, fortunately, at the end of this novel, the family finds a temporary place to stay (an old, run-down, one-room apartment) so again it's clearly not sunshine and roses, but hopeful. The author truly does a masterful job of introducing this difficult topic in a way that creates empathy while being enjoyable and (for most kids) non-traumatizing.
46 of 48 people found the following review helpful. A serious juvenile novel and a fanciful one at the same time By Neal Reynolds What can you call a fantasy which isn't really a fantasy? Crenshaw isn't real 9 year old Jackson realizes this. Crenshaw himself realizes this. Crenshaw was Jackson's imaginary playmate when he was five, and four years later he's back. This is disturbing because Jackson is now too old to have an imaginary playmate. However, as it turns out, he does need one.This is a surprisingly serious juvenile novel. It deals with the quite serious theme of homeless living. You can't get much more serious than that. However, this is hardly a depressing book. There's lots of humor in it. However, it's not a light read. The author makes Jackson's life seem quite real. He, his sister, and his parents are all very real characters. Oddly, so is Crenshaw. The writer's crowning achievement is making Crenshaw real, but not real.On one hand, this is pretty heavy stuff for the young reader to handle. On the other hand, it has a lot of entertainment value. I recommend it strongly for kids and even for parents.
54 of 59 people found the following review helpful. An Unsentimental Boy, An Unsentimental Cat, An Unsentimental Story . . . . By SundayAtDusk Uncertainties frighten and anger Jackson. He prides himself on his scientist-like thinking, and that's what he wants to be when he grows up--a scientist. But, like most kids in a family with some serious problems, he has limited time to think about his future. His dad was once a successful construction worker who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and could only take part-time jobs after that time. His mother was once a middle-school music teacher, until her job was eliminated, and she then started working up to three part-time jobs at a time. Unfortunately, all that part-time work never seemed to add up to full-time wages, and, once again, Jackson's family was looking at the possibility of having to live in their van.Living in the van didn't seem that bad to Jackson the summer before he entered second grade, but he could not fathom doing so again the summer before he was starting fifth grade. That's when Crenshaw returned. Crenshaw was there the first time the family became homeless, and he was back the second time it looked like homelessness was approaching. Crenshaw was Jackson's imaginary friend, and he was one big cat. Like Jackson, he also wasn't particularly sentimental and liked to stick to facts. Unlike Jackson, who feared he was beginning to lose it, Crenshaw had no problem with the existence of an imaginary friend, even for a boy going into fifth grade.So this story goes . . . and it is an excellent example of a writer dealing with a major social issue without being too heavy-handed. For some, the story will seem magical. For others, it won't seem magical enough. For example, at times, Crenshaw seems more like a therapist explaining why imaginary friends exist, instead of seeming like an imaginary friend created by a young boy. Yet, maybe that's the type of imaginary friend a budding scientist would create in his mind. Jackson also has a friend named Marisol who wants to be a scientist when she grows up. The author is nicely demonstrating with her character the fact that having just one real friend can make all the difference in the world, to a child heading towards an uncertain time in his or her life. (Obviously, having an unreal friend can help, too. )Uncertainty. Legions of homeless children or those being threatened by homelessness are dealing with uncertainties every minute of their lives. Crenshaw may be a book that helps those children. It also may be a book that will help children who never have to face the possibility of homelessness understand better those who do. Crenshaw is a cat. A big cat. There is no animal that has better survival skills or instincts. This is not a particularly sentimental story. It's also not a story that will scare children . . . at least not too much. The ending is one of hope, but not hope of an unrealistic type. Yet, the story shows magic can exist . . . even in the mind of a young scientist . . . and can help make a difficult time less difficult. So can love.
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