Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
Sometimes life is tough. In the case of 10 year old Jackson, life is more than he can handle. His dad has MS. Jackson, his parents and sister Robin are losing their home (yet again) and the family of four will be forced to live in the family’s minivan.
How will he cope? Enter his imaginary friend, a very large cat named Crenshaw.
As Jackson navigates the heart-breaking terrain of his loss and uncertainty, Crenshaw becomes an invaluable confidant, companion, and true friend.
Newbery Award winning author Katherine Applegate has created memorable characters (both real and imaginary) and a story that remains with me, long after I turned the final page.
How will he cope? Enter his imaginary friend, a very large cat named Crenshaw.
As Jackson navigates the heart-breaking terrain of his loss and uncertainty, Crenshaw becomes an invaluable confidant, companion, and true friend.
Newbery Award winning author Katherine Applegate has created memorable characters (both real and imaginary) and a story that remains with me, long after I turned the final page.
Jackson's nine truths:
In life often there are no "take backs". There is no turning back.
I felt the way you do the instant before you leap into the deep end of a pool.
You're on your way to somewhere else. You're not there yet. But you know there's no turning back.
Memory is selective.
When I try to remember my whole entire life, it feels like a Lego project where you’re missing some of the important pieces, like a robot mini-figure or a monster truck wheel. You do the best you can to put things together, but you know it’s not quite like the picture on the box.
Events often overtake our lives in gradual increments.
I guess becoming homeless doesn't happen all at once.
Some things defy logic.
There's always a logical explanation, I told myself.
Always
Often we say things don’t matter, but deep inside we know some things are significant to us.
Things were just things. Bits of plastic and wood and cardboard and steel. Bunches of atoms….Still I felt twisted inside. Like I’d swallowed a knotted-up rope.
It’s difficult to talk about the pain that you feel.
I wasn’t lying, exactly. It was more that I left out certain facts and focused on others.
Imaginary friends can serve an important purpose.
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 are needed again.
Imagination adds richness and wonder to our lives.
Jackson...just enjoy the magic while you can, okay?
Hope can be an elusive thing.
...every so often I'd catch a glimpse of his tail riding the wind like the end of a kite.
I'd feel hopeful then, for a while at least, that things would get better, that maybe, just maybe, anything is possible.
In life often there are no "take backs". There is no turning back.
I felt the way you do the instant before you leap into the deep end of a pool.
You're on your way to somewhere else. You're not there yet. But you know there's no turning back.
Memory is selective.
When I try to remember my whole entire life, it feels like a Lego project where you’re missing some of the important pieces, like a robot mini-figure or a monster truck wheel. You do the best you can to put things together, but you know it’s not quite like the picture on the box.
Events often overtake our lives in gradual increments.
I guess becoming homeless doesn't happen all at once.
Some things defy logic.
There's always a logical explanation, I told myself.
Always
Often we say things don’t matter, but deep inside we know some things are significant to us.
Things were just things. Bits of plastic and wood and cardboard and steel. Bunches of atoms….Still I felt twisted inside. Like I’d swallowed a knotted-up rope.
It’s difficult to talk about the pain that you feel.
I wasn’t lying, exactly. It was more that I left out certain facts and focused on others.
Imaginary friends can serve an important purpose.
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 are needed again.
Imagination adds richness and wonder to our lives.
Jackson...just enjoy the magic while you can, okay?
Hope can be an elusive thing.
...every so often I'd catch a glimpse of his tail riding the wind like the end of a kite.
I'd feel hopeful then, for a while at least, that things would get better, that maybe, just maybe, anything is possible.
Help the Hungry
The plight of the homeless is something that touches many families, including those with young children. In conjunction with the release of Crenshaw Macmillan Publishers are organizing a food drive during the month of October. Bookstores and other interested parties can participate in the following ways:
To learn more visit the Crenshaw Food Drive website.
- Bookstores can register to participate by October 15, 2015 . For every store that signs up, Macmillan will donate $100* to No Kid Hungry, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger.
- Katherine Applegate will visit the store that collects the most nonperishable food items, and she’ll conduct Skype visits with three runners-up.
- Bring nonperishable food items to your local participating bookstore.
To learn more visit the Crenshaw Food Drive website.
The number of bookstore donation sites: August 16 to September 18
September 18 bookstore donation sites.
August 16 map of bookstore donation sites
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