Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Crenshaw

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2020

Jackson said (or thought), "What bothered me most, though, was that I couldn’t fix anything. I couldn’t control anything."

What bothered ME most is my own memory of youthful thinking just like that; a secular mindset. If there is no God, you're on your own and any problem is yours. Period. Very different from a life with faith in a living God and having the assurance that you're never alone and you always have a Shepherd. Fact.

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Whitt Patrick Pond

"Tell the truth to the person who matters most. You."

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2017

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Katherine Applegate's Crenshaw is a hard book to classify. Technically it's a YA fantasy novel, but that description would cause readers to expect something light and fanciful. And that is far from the case with Crenshaw. True, it's about a boy named Jackson and his imaginary friend, a man-sized talking cat named Crenshaw. But he's a boy having to face some adult problems that may be beyond an imaginary friend's ability to help with.

Jackson is a nine-year-old boy who lives with his mom and dad and his younger sister Robin. In an apartment. That they're about to be evicted from. Which means that they'll be having to live out of their run-down family car. Again. Because the family has on-going financial problems. Which in turn are partly because his dad is suffering from multiple sclerosis which is steadily diminishing his ability to work. It's a lot for a nine-year-old to have on his shoulders, even with the help of an imaginary friend.

Applegate does an excellent job showing how these problems are playing out through Jackson's eyes, and you really feel for him as he relates what's happening as you can see in this particularly moving section:

"After I got ready for bed, I lay on my mattress and thought things over.
-- I thought about the stuff I'd put in my keepsakes bag. Some photos. A spelling bee trophy. A bunch of nature books. My teddy bear. A clay statue of Crenshaw that I'd made when I was in second grade. My worn-out copy of A Hole Is To Dig.
-- I thought about Crenshaw and the surfboard.
-- I thought about the purple jelly beans.
-- Mostly though, I thought about the signs I'd been noticing.
-- I am very observant, which is a useful thing for a scientist to be. Here's what I'd been observing:
-- Big piles of bills.
-- Parents whispering.
-- Parents arguing.
-- Stuff getting sold, like the silver teapot my grandma gave my mom and our laptop computer.
-- The power going off for two days because we hadn't paid the bill.
-- Not much food except peanut butter and mac and cheese and Cup O Noodles.
-- My mom digging under the couch cushions for quarters.
-- My dad digging under the couch cushions for dimes.
-- My mom borrowing toilet paper rolls from work.
-- The landlord coming over and saying "I'm sorry" and shaking his head a lot.
-- It didn't make sense. My mom had three part-time jobs. My dad had two part-time jobs. You'd think that would add up to two whole actual jobs, but it didn't seem to.
-- ...
-- I figured my parents had a plan for making everything okay, because parents always have a plan. But when I asked them what it was, they said stuff like maybe they could plant a money tree in the backyard,. Or maybe they could start their rock back up again and win a Grammy Award.
-- I didn't want to leave our apartment, but I could feel it coming, even if nobody said anything. I knew how things worked. I'd been through this before.
-- It was too bad, because I really liked where we lived, even though we'd only been there a couple of years. Swanlake Village was the name of our neighborhood. It didn't have any real swans. But all the mailboxes had swans on them, and the community pool had a swan painted on the bottom.
-- ...
-- Swanlake Village wasn't a fancy place at all, just a regular old neighborhood. But it was friendly. It was the kind of place where you could smell hot dogs and burgers grilling every weekend. Where kids rode their scooters on the sidewalk and sold lousy lemonade for a quarter a cup. It was a place where you had friends you could count on, like Marisol.
-- You wouldn't have thought it was a place where people were worried or hungry or sad.
-- Our school librarian likes to say you can't judge a book by its cover. Maybe it's the same way with neighborhoods. Maybe you can't judge a place by its swans."

Crenshaw does draw on other sources for some of its inspiration, particularly when it comes to imaginary friends. One is Mary Chase's classic 1944 stageplay Harvey, where the main character's best friend is a six-foot white rabbit no one else can see or hear. Another is the 2007 film Ratatouille where the rat Remy frequently has conversations with the spirit of Auguste Gusteau, the human chef he idolizes. And yet another is the "Hide and Seek" episode of the animated TV show Teen Titans where one of the characters has an imaginary friend, an invisible giant stuffed bear named Bobby. And in a special turn, Crenshaw turns to Ray Bradbury's "I Sing The Body Electric" for what imaginary friends do when they're not around the humans who imagined them. Applegate also draws on more scholarly sources for the reasons kids have imaginary friends, but it's clear that she is on the side of those who believe that just because someone is imagined, it doesn't mean they aren't real. And

Highly recommended with the caution that this deals with some serious subjects that some readers - young or adult - may not want to think about. But probably should.

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Kansas Mary

A good read for anyone ages 10 and older.

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2017

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I bought this book and "The One and Only Ivan" (both by Katherine Applegate) for my grandson's upcoming 11th birthday. If you have read the other reviews, then you know this is about a large cat named Crenshaw, who is an imaginary friend to a 10 year old boy who is often hungry and facing the real possibility that he and his family may again be homeless and living in their SUV. It is a great story! I know the subject matter may seem a little sad for children, but really the story is uplifting in it's own way. I always read a story before I give it to my grandkids to read. I WANT to know what they are going to be reading and if it's appropriate for them to be reading it! This was a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend it for 10-100 year old readers.

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Loving Crenshaw

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2015

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I personally didn't read this book for more than a few pages (it seemed intelligently and engagingly written). My 11 year-old daughter however devoured this book. She simply loved it. She is a cat/pet person but beyond that she could empathize with the male protagonist Jackson (who has an analytical mindset like her older brother), even though she has not had the trials he encounters. That is the sign of a well written story. It is a serious story, but still enjoyable to read. I will be getting more Applegate novels for my daughter.

~ Kort

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Christal Hoff

Relatable and amazing

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2020

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This book is for kids in the 11-12 range and is incredibly relatable for anyone who has ever been poor or struggled with moving a lot as a kid. I bought it for my 1st grader because he loves cats and the idea really intrigued him. Its the first book Ive read to that doesnt have pictures. Its above his age range as the character was his age when he created crenshaw but is a 5th grader as he tells the story. But story hits just the same. He is complete captured by it and finds crenshaw amusing and the store captivating. It also taught him a lot of things about empathy and what life is like for some people. For him its an eye opening experience and for me it was a touching and relatable one. Overall this is a well written, easy to read and relatable book that I think will help a lot of kids through tough times in their lives and feel like their not alone.

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Lisa Lamirand

Fearlessly addresses fears of homelessness from a child's viewpoint

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2015

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I've never read a book that addresses both homelessness and hunger from a child's viewpoint. This author has done so brilliantly, and throws a child's imaginary friend into the story to help deal with the stresses placed upon this child/family. I loved the way the author had the imaginary friend show the child that telling the truth is best- even if the parents don't want to hear it. I would recommend this book to every student aged 9-12. We need to share with our students how they might make a difference in other peoples lives.

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Karen A. Gagnon

Get Ready For An Amazing Adventure With Lovable Crenshaw

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2021

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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.

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Justicepirate

I had loved reading the One and Only Ivan

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2017

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I had loved reading the One and Only Ivan, as did my older son (younger son wants to read it soon). When I saw that the author wrote a new book, I couldn't wait to read it. Sadly, it was not as good by any means, but it was not terrible either.

Jackson's dad has MS and their family struggles a lot to make it by financially. His family understands hunger and even spent some time living in a van at one point.

Crenshaw is Jackson's imaginary friend who is a big black and white cat who likes water. He first saw Crenshaw when he was seven years old. Now he is ten. He doesn't want to see him and is upset that he does considering he is "too old" to have an imaginary friend.

Although the story was moving, sad, funny, and cute, I just feel like there could have been more to it. It is definitely from a kid's perspective, which I feel is important for us to wonder things more about what is going on in his life with his family, but I feel the way it ended was too abrupt maybe.

Anyway, I hope my sons like it more.

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ishkabibble

A great story that you won't soon forget!

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2020

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I love, love, love this story. It is not cutesy-putesy and I think that's important for authors to remember when writing for children. This book tackles the big issue of poverty and homelessness in such simple language -yet it remains touching and doesn't lose the emotional importance of the weight of losing everything you own. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to have a dialogue with my 7 year old about empathy and understanding. My review will not do the story justice. This is an important story. I definitely recommend young children and parents read it together. The author definitely uses language young children, 6-7 -maybe 5 if they're precocious -will understand. It's definitely a story of substance! Which there aren't enough of for children.

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Amazon Customer

Great inspiration

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2020

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Interesting read; my granddaughter and I read this together and shared our insights about the main characters struggles. There were times I didn't like the book; homelessness is a tough issue and one I find difficult to talk about. But, I appreciated the author's explanations about the purpose of imaginary characters and the comfort they bring. I also appreciated the author's focus upon the need kids have for honesty..we can't always protect them, and shouldn't. Great potential for dialogue with your child on a difficult subjects.

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4 star		11%
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