about the book
Jackson likes facts, which is good because he wants to be an animal scientist when he grows up. His parents worry about his lack of imagination—especially since they’re artistically inclined—but figure he’ll grow one someday.
Too bad that didn’t happen before he exposed the Easter Bunny as a man while at a mall.
The fact that Jackson sees Crenshaw again, a seven-foot talking cat, is all the more concerning to the boy. He thought he’d rid himself of his imaginary friend several years ago, when his family was living out of their car.
But Crenshaw is back. Why? Is his family on the brink of losing their home again?
about the author
Whether you look for Katherine Alice Applegate, or A. K. Applegate or the pen name Katherine Kendall, you will find that this popular writer has written more than 100 books, including the popular Animorphs series. She says if she could morph into any animal, it would be a dolphin!
Katherine graduated with honors from the University of Texas but she didn’t know what she wanted to do. She waited on tables, typed badly, and watered plants for a living. She wandered from Florida to California, from Minnesota to Italy. Tired of these boring jobs, she decided to become a famous writer. After all, it required no social skills or physical exertion and she could wear comfortable clothes!
Easily distracted, Katherine sets a strict writing schedule for herself. She also writes adult novels, but she is mainly interested in middle grade students. Katherine says they are open-minded, imaginative, and the best readers on earth.
Although the old movie Harvey, about an imaginary giant rabbit, may be partially behind her book Crenshaw, the true inspiration for the story came after Katherine visited a school for homeless children in San Diego, California. Their stories stayed with her long after she left the school. She wanted to explore the issue of the working poor in America and the strains it puts upon families, a subject that is not talked about. Even though their parents might be working multiple jobs, these kids don’t know if there will be a next meal or where they will sleep. Katherine says these kids want to know that everything will be okay…and in her book, a seven-foot tall imaginary talking cat assures Jackson that his family will survive intact.
In her spare time, Katherine plays the cello, tends her ankle-biting cats, and travels with son Jake, adopted daughter Julia, and husband Michael. Michael also writes books and has co- authored some of Katherine’s books. Their home is in southern California.
Sources:
Author biography : Bookrags
Author biography : Simon & Schuster
Author interview : School Library Journal
Book trailer: Crenshaw
Also by Katherine Applegate:
Wishtree. Feiwel and Friends. September 2017.
The One and Only Ivan. Harper Collins. 2012.
Home of the Brave. Feiwel and Friends. 2007.
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