Crenshaw

Author: Kathrine Applegate (The One and Only Ivan)

Genre: Children’s Fiction about an Imaginary Friend

Published September 26, 2017

Page Count: 272

Jackson’s family is going through a rough spot in their life. His dad cannot work, his mother is working two jobs, there isn’t much food, and the bills are piling up. They have lived out of their minivan before, but Jackson’s parents are trying to avoid that. While emotionally, mentally, and physically dealing with these difficulties an old friend returns. This isn’t just any ordinary friend, this friend just happens to be a giant cat named Crenshaw who only Jackson can see.

Reading Audience:

   Eight to Ten is what Amazon suggests. The chapters are very short and make this a great read for middle to upper elementary. We have a middle school child with dyslexia and this book seems like a good fit for her. It is also good to listen to or read out loud.

Stuff to be aware of:

   No bad words, no sexual stuff, and nothing immoral. The story does revolve around Jackson’s family going through a financial hardship. There is some back story in the book in which the family is homeless and living out of their van. The father in the book has multiple sclerosis and blames himself for the family’s financial difficulties.

One character does mention God saying, “I am not sure what God is up to.” There is a scene that involves a boy stealing a couple of things from a store, he later pays for the items. Jackson mentions that he wished his little sister didn't exist, but there are way more examples of his love for his sister.

Overall:

This story was a bit slow at the start and the first person took me a few chapters to get into, but I am glad I stuck with it. This simple story reminds me a lot of My Neighbor Totoro in which (spoiler alert) children deal with tragedy with magical friends. While, the financial hardship the family goes through and the backstory about them being homeless could be eye opening for some children, it is not too intense. The chapters and dialogue dealing with this can be a good way to start a discussion with your (our) children about how blessed they are. This can be a “teachable moment” about those who are less fortunate than us and how sometimes things happen that are beyond our control.

I haven’t read a Kathrine Applegate book I didn’t like. She creates characters that are relatable, real, and enjoyable. Her stories are encaptivating and I plan to read more by her!


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