Review by New York Times Review
A 400-POUND GORILLA casts a large shadow. In 2013, Katherine Applegate won the Newbery Medal for "The One and Only Ivan," the story of a gorilla kept in a strip-mall circus. Ivan, the gorilla, frees himself and a young elephant by communicating with humans through fingerpainting. "Ivan" was a winning tale for many reasons: It was based, loosely, on a true story; it addressed the issue of animal cruelty honestly, but in a manner that children could handle; it was technically original, telling the story from Ivan's perspective, in short chapters that read like prose poems. But the primary reason "Ivan" has become such a beloved book is Ivan himself. His frank wisdom about life, both human and animal, provokes laughter and thought; his aspirations - to become an artist, and to liberate himself through art - feel universal. So when I picked up Katherine Applegate's next novel, "Crenshaw," I was immediately excited. On the cover is a giant cat, sitting on a bench beside a small boy. Hurray! I thought. Another huge mammal! But "Crenshaw" is not the book I was expecting. Crenshaw the cat is the imaginary friend of a boy named Jackson. So far, so good. Jackson sees Crenshaw on a surfboard. We learn that Crenshaw likes purple jelly beans (the only unbelievable element of the book up to that point; everyone knows that purple candy is gross). But another story line begins nosing its way in. Jackson's family, it turns out, is very poor. Jackson and his sister, Robin, never have quite enough food. Jackson's mother, a music teacher, was laid off during recent school budget cuts. Jackson's father has multiple sclerosis, which forced him to quit his job building houses. And a crisis is coming. Jackson's family has been homeless before, when Jackson was in first grade. Now that he's going into fifth grade, it appears they may become homeless again. Applegate explores the world of working-class poverty with understated empathy and quiet humor. "'You do realize we can't live in the minivan again,' my mom said. "'No,' said my dad, 'we can't.' "'Aretha's a lot bigger. She'd take up the whole middle seat.' "'Plus she farts a lot.' My dad sighed. 'Who knows? Sunday at the yard sale somebody might give us a million bucks for Robin's old highchair.' "'Good point,' said my mom. 'It comes with extra Cheerios stuck to the seat.'" But as Applegate draws this world closer to us, Crenshaw the cat recedes. We go 10 pages, 20,40,100, with Crenshaw barely resurfacing at all. It's as if Applegate set out to write a book about a huge mammal and ended up with a human family that she cared about more. As in "The One and Only Ivan," repression is a primary theme. Jackson has decided that facts are his friends. He hides his pain from himself and his parents. This is why Crenshaw appears to Jackson, after having vanished from his life for several years. He says to Jackson, "You need to tell the truth, my friend ... to the person who matters most of all." Crenshaw stands for Jackson's psychological freedom - to imagine, to love, to be honest with himself and his family. Psychologically, it works. Narratively, less so. We don't care for Crenshaw the cat. He is insouciant without being witty, wise but not particularly kind. He isn't a character. He's a symbol. SOME CHILDREN WILL be disappointed. I was, initially, disappointed. But if we manage to get past our personal agendas for Applegate and her huge mammals, we may find something very valuable indeed in "Crenshaw." Applegate's prose is simple and poetic enough to appeal to literary adults, children who struggle with reading and just about everyone in between. And in "Crenshaw," her human characters are everything the huge cat is not. Jackson is witty and wise and struggles against problems too big for him. His parents' hardships are achingly real, but their love for Jackson is equally palpable. We love this intermittently homeless family - not because we pity them, but because we admire them. "Crenshaw" is not for every child. But if the reader can handle some tough facts of life, she will be richly rewarded. Not by the huge mammal. By the humans. ADAM GIDWITZ'S books include "A Tale Dark and Grimm" and, most recently, "The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi?"
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 11, 2015]
Review by Booklist Review
Soon-to-be fifth-grader Jackson goes for facts and science things that are real and true and having a giant, talking cat around doesn't fit the bill. It has been years since his imaginary feline friend Crenshaw was on the scene, and Jackson can't figure out why he is back or how to make him go away. It soon becomes apparent that all is not well in Jackson's home. Though he has a loving family, money is tight. Jackson can't help remembering back to when they had to live in a minivan that was when he first met Crenshaw and he fears that might happen once again. Newbery winner Applegate (The One and Only Ivan, 2012) uses gentle humor, embodied by Crenshaw, to explore the topic of homelessness. Jackson's anxiety is central to the narrative, and his concerns will resonate with readers who have been in stressful situations. Though the story is weighty, it is a quick read that encourages people of all ages to be honest with one another and value family and friends (real and imaginary!).--Smith, Julia Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Although he is "not an imaginary friend kind of guy," rising fifth-grader Jackson recognizes Crenshaw immediately. The cat, who walks on two legs and likes purple jellybeans, first appeared to Jackson three years ago when his family was living in their van. Although life has been stable since then, Jackson notices "Big piles of bills. Parents whispering. Parents arguing. Stuff getting sold." When he asks his parents if they have "a plan for making everything okay," they respond with evasive answers like "maybe they could plant a money tree in the back yard." Newbery Medalist Applegate (The One and Only Ivan) poignantly conveys Jackson's memory of hunger and homelessness and his realization that both threaten his family again. Certain that he has outgrown Crenshaw, Jackson feels both dismay and wonder that his friend has returned, with his playful, attention-getting antics (taking bubble baths, doing cartwheels and handstands) and thought-provoking answers to Jackson's questions. 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. Ages 10-14. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Jackson was seven the last time he saw his bubble-bathing, purple jelly bean-loving friend Crenshaw. But now that Jackson is 10, the oversize imaginary feline explains, "You need a bigger friend now." Jackson and his family must sell everything they can to pay their overdue rent and avoid living in their minivan-again. Jackson knows hunger and daily uncertainty too well. He's shoplifted to feed his (real-life) dog and his younger sister. He can't tell anyone about his dire situation: "Sometimes facts are too hard to share." But with Crenshaw's urging, he'll finally confront his parents with the most difficult conversation of his young life. Applegate here addresses challenging subjects that haunt children forced to grow up too soon. Crenshaw proves to be the perfect, gentle guide: "Imaginary friends are like books. We're created, we're enjoyed, we're dog-eared and creased and then we're tucked away until we're needed again." Narrator Kirby Heyborne keeps perfect pace with Jackson's frustrations and resolve, imbues Crenshaw with whimsy and wisdom, and easily distinguishes the many supporting characters, especially Jackson's best friend Marisol, with deftness and grace. VERDICT An essential acquisition for middle grade collections everywhere. ["A compelling and unflinchingly honest treatment of a difficult topic": SLJ 8/15 starred review of the Feiwel & Friends book.]-Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Jackson is a scientist, a skeptic, and nobodys fool. Hes the resilient fifth-grader (the most grown-up one in the house) in a dreamy, overwhelmed family that has fallen on hard times. But sometimes even the hyper-competent need help, and when Jacksons family faces homelessness once more, his former imaginary friend, a giant cat named Crenshaw whos visible only to Jackson, makes a reappearance. Crenshaw is neither cute nor obviously supportive. He takes bubble baths, constantly asks for purple jelly beans, and makes gnomic pronouncements (You need to tell the truth, my friendTo the person who matters most of all). Jackson tries to banish him, but Crenshaw insists that he has been summoned. Applegate walks a tightrope through this whole robustly sweet narrative. Crenshaw is both real and imaginary. Jacksons family is loving, optimistic, and functional in its way, but the tenuousness of the familys situation and Jacksons lack of control over his own fate are stressful. Were we going to have enough to eat tomorrow?Were we going to be able to pay the rent?Would I go to the same school in the fall?Would it [homelessness] happen again? The tone is warm and, occasionally, quirkily funny, but it doesnt 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 classthe working poorunderrepresented in childrens books. sarah ellis (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Applegate tackles homelessness in her first novel since 2013 Newbery winner The One and Only Ivan. Hunger is a constant for soon-to-be fifth-grader Jackson and his family, and the accompanying dizziness may be why his imaginary friend is back. A giant cat named Crenshaw first appeared after Jackson finished first grade, when his parents moved the family into their minivan for several months. Now they're facing eviction again, and Jackson's afraid that he won't be going to school next year with his friend Marisol. When Crenshaw shows up on a surfboard, Jackson, an aspiring scientist who likes facts, wonders whether Crenshaw is real or a figment of his imagination. Jackson's first-person narrative moves from the present day, when he wishes that his parents understood that he's old enough to hear the truth about the family's finances, to the first time they were homeless and back to the present. The structure allows readers access to the slow buildup of Jackson's panic and his need for a friend and stability in his life. Crenshaw tells Jackson that "Imaginary friends don't come of their own volition. We are invited. We stay as long as we're needed." The cat's voice, with its adult tone, is the conduit for the novel's lessons: "You need to tell the truth, my friend.To the person who matters most of all." Though the lessons weigh more heavily than in The One and Only Ivan, a potential disappointment to its fans, the story is nevertheless a somberly affecting one. (Fiction. 7-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
