Crenshaw

Katherine Applegate has created yet another heartwarming character in Crenshaw; who joins the ranks of Ivan, Bob and others. This is a breathtaking, memorable & completely magical story about a young boy (named Jackson) and the tough situation his family is in currently. In the beginning of the story, we find Jackson, who is about to enter the fifth grade in the fall, at the beach on a beautiful summer’s day. While at the beach, Jackson spies something quite unusual – a giant surf boarding cat. It seemed like no one else on the beach surrounding Jackson could see this magical cat. The more Jackson thought about it, the more he realized that this particular cat looked awfully familiar. Jackson had good reason to recognize this cat, because it was none other than his own long forgotten imaginary friend: Crenshaw. Crenshaw is a large, often outspoken cat; who has a penguin style black & white coat. Crenshaw first appeared in Jackson’s life, during the summer after first grade – right when Jackson really needed a good friend. This time around, Jackson has a hard time dealing with Crenshaw, because now that he is older Jackson believes solely in facts & wants to grow up to be a scientist. It seems that Crenshaw has appeared (once again) in Jackson’s life, because Jackson needs help – the kind of help that can only come from a magical cat & just maybe might save his family along the way. Pretty soon, the reader finds themselves on a journey with Jackson & Crenshaw. You see, Jackson’s family has fallen on hard times again. There’s no money to pay the rent (the family has to sell practically everything they own). There isn’t that much food either & the biggest fear hanging over Jackson’s head is that he & his family might have to live in their minivan again – which won’t be much fun with his parents, a little sister, and a dog all living inside the same small space. Jackson doesn’t want to live inside the minivan again, because he doesn’t want his life to change. Jackson has a thriving dog walking business (See Spot Walk) with his best friend Marisol that he would hate to lose. The ending of this story is simply terrific, because Jackson’s Dad (who suffers from multiple sclerosis) manages to get a part time job as an assistant manager at a music store & there is even a garage apartment that the family could live in for a month. By the end of the story the reader will realize that friends really do matter even if they are only imaginary; because imaginary friends never really go away – they are always within reach whenever their kid might need them. This is a great story that kids can relate too – kids who might have been through some of the same stuff as Jackson. Kids will fall completely in love with Crenshaw and his antics throughout the story (ever hear of a cat that likes to take bubble baths). As for myself, I am hoping that someday the author will write a sequel, so that the world can find out what happens to Jackson, his family and his imaginary cat friend: Crenshaw. So if you want to read an amazingly beautiful story about family, friendships and some hard times, grab a copy of this book right away. You won’t be disappointed in it.

"Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate This heart-warming, touching, and kind story made me sob, laugh a bit, and think about things that truly matter in life. The Plot: We follow ten-year-old Jackson as his family goes through challenging times. The boy, described as having "an old soul" (according to his teacher), tries to cope with troubles and help his parents as much as possible. This mission is not as easy as it may seem at first sight. Luckily, little Jackson has an imaginary friend who is wise, funny, and ready to do his best to help. The Writing Style: It was easy and enjoyable reading. There were light humor and illuminative moments that made my son and me talk about the morals afterward. As the main character is a curious little boy dreaming of becoming a scientist, there are a lot of interesting facts about animals and many other things. In general, this book was perfect for our bedtime stories time and left a trace in our bookish hearts. The Characters: The number of characters is minimal. I felt like living with them, going through all the troubles, and experiencing their pain and suffering because the author described all their features, traits, and souls in an ideal way. The emotional knots between me and the characters were tied firmly from the first pages. The Fave Quote: "Maybe you can't judge a place its swans.” Would I read other books by this author: Sure! My humble rating is: 5/5

This is a great story by a great author--very enjoyable read!

Surprisingly fast read. Clearly for children but I really enjoyed it and truly felt bad for this small family of four and a dog too. The story is basically about homelessness, hardship and the keen ability of how children deal with the problems of being hungry and poor. The main character is a young boy named Jackson and he has an imaginary friend he named Crenshaw. Crenshaw is an oversized cat with a baseball cap that comes around only when Jackson needs him. I recommend you read this interesting and thought provoking story to find out what happens to this loving family.

A very interesting and amazing book. Best for bookworms…….

My 11 year old grandson was enjoying reading ‘The One and Only Bob’ at school so I thought he may also enjoy ‘Crenshaw’ he did! So now other books by Katherine will be on the gift list.

単語も平易ですらすらと読み進めて行くことができます。 物語の始まりは、Ｔシャツを着ていてパラソルを持っていてサーフボードをしている猫が出てくるところから・・・どんな楽しいお話が展開していくのやら？という最初の雰囲気とはうらはらに、実は 子供を主人公とした貧困に関わるお話です。 父親はあるとき病気で職を失ってしまいます。次期を同じくして間もなく 母親も教師の職を失ってしまうのです。そして じわじわと経済的に困窮する生活へと。10歳の男の子の視点から描かれています。 空腹や辛さから逃避するためにか空想の世界に・・・そして大きな猫が現れては男の子を支えていきます。 難しい また 暗くなりがちなテーマをうまく取り上げていると思います。

Es buena literatura y le gustó a mí hija de 10 años para mejorar sus habilidades de lectura en inglés (segunda lengua).

My 9 year old loves this book. She read it quickly as she was totally hooked. She said that it had a lot of detail and was a great read!