SuitabookCrenshaw
Katherine Applegate
- Reading
- Consider reading together or checking in afterwards: the story’s humour sits alongside serious worries about housing, food and family finances. Let the child set the pace for discussing those subjects.
- Themes
- Hardship and honesty: Jackson’s family faces financial difficulty, and his parents try to shield the children from the full situation. Crenshaw urges Jackson to speak truthfully. The book presents this favourably.
- Imagination and a child’s perspective: Crenshaw, an imaginary cat from Jackson’s earlier childhood, returns as Jackson faces renewed family troubles. The imaginary-friend structure places a comic, imaginative presence alongside Jackson’s difficult circumstances.
- Worth knowing
- Food insecurity and possible homelessness are described directly: the children sometimes go without meals, and the family may again live in their minivan. These circumstances may prompt questions or feel close to home.