Applegate explores the world of working-class poverty with understated empathy and quiet humor…[Her] prose is simple and poetic enough to appeal to literary adults, children who struggle with reading and just about everyone in between…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.

★ 06/22/2015
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.)

A Publishers Weekly Bestseller

“The tone is warm and, occasionally, quirkily funny, but it doesn't 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 class—the working poor—underrepresented in children's books.” —The Horn Book, starred review

"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." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Children will appreciate this heartbreaking novel...a compelling and unflinchingly honest treatment of a difficult topic." —School Library Journal, starred review

"...a quick read that encourages people of all ages to be honest with one another and value family and friends (real and imaginary!)" —Booklist

Kirby Heyborne’s evenhanded narration fits first-person narrator Jackson, who describes himself as “not an imaginary friend kind of guy.” Heyborne makes Jackson’s bewilderment clear as the fourth-grader, who is bent on becoming a scientist, tries to puzzle out the reappearance of Crenshaw, an oversized imaginary cat who showed up three years before, when Jackson and his parents were homeless. Heyborne deftly portrays how Jackson’s parents downplay their predicament and how Jackson tamps down his scary feelings as he tries to shield his sister from the realities of their lives. Heyborne gives the cat gentle tones that help to calm Jackson as he come to terms with his family’s situation. Young listeners will be reassured by Heyborne's quiet delivery as they hear about a difficult topic. S.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

2015-06-29
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)