CRENSHAW

This is a guest review and comments from review contributor Pat Koelmel:

Did you have an imaginary friend when you were a child? I, for one, did not even though there were times in my childhood when I probably could have used one. Maybe even two. In any event, I’d like to think that, if I had dreamed up an imaginary friend way back when, I would have gone big like ten-year-old Jackson in the 2015 middle-grade novel by Katherine Applegate. His is a seven-foot tall black and white cat by the name of Crenshaw.

Crenshaw first appeared in Jackson’s life when he was seven. His dad had just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and could no longer work in the construction field. At the same, his mother had also lost her job, thus, forcing their family of five (besides Jackson and his parents, there’s little sister Robin and their dog Aretha) to leave their home and live in their minivan. For fourteen weeks, they spent their days at the library or park or wherever and nights sleeping inside their car. They dined on handouts like day-old pumpernickel bagels, and sometimes Jackson’s dad, a former musician, played songs on his guitar and literally sang for their supper on busy street corners.

Of this time, Jackson says this about Crenshaw: “Crenshaw and I didn’t chat much during those weeks on the road. There was always someone around to interrupt us. But that was okay. I knew he was there and that was enough. Sometimes that’s all you really need from a friend.” Completely told from Jackson’s point of view, this story really gets to the heart of what it’s like to be a child and homeless. On being hungry, Jackson offers this advice: “If you run out of cereal and your stomach’s still growling, you can always try chewing a piece of gum to distract yourself.” (By the way, Ms. Applegate did her research. In her acknowledgments, she thanks the students of the Monarch School in San Diego, California, a campus for those affected by homelessness, for sharing their stories.)

Okay, back to the story. Fast forward to three years later. The good news is Jackson (now ten) and his family are still living in the same apartment they had moved into after their three-month-plus stint in their minivan. The bad news is they’re falling on hard times yet again. They can’t afford enough food or make the rent. They might even end up living in their minivan again. But that’s not all. Crenshaw’s back! Only this time around, Jackson’s not so happy about it. Not only does Jackson feel he’s way too old to have an imaginary friend, he’s grown into a boy who deals in facts and logic. And there’s absolutely nothing logical about an imaginary, seven-foot tall cat who drops in when Jackson least expects it.

As you might think, with a character like Crenshaw, this story can at times make you chuckle. For instance: After overhearing his parents argue, Jackson finds Crenshaw in the bathroom taking a bubble bath. He tells the cat that he doesn’t exist. Crenshaw dryly replies: “I beg to differ.” The banter between the two can also be tender and heartfelt. When Jackson orders Crenshaw to leave, Crenshaw replies: “We [imaginary friends] stay as long as we’re needed. And then, and only then, do we leave.”

In addition to the repartee, Ms. Applegate does a fabulous job helping the reader to picture Crenshaw’s rather substantial physique. Crenshaw’s paws are described to be as “big as a lion’s, with fingers the size of baby carrots.” What’s that? Cats don’t have fingers? Well, Crenshaw does. If you recall, he is no “ordinary” cat.

So what have I got to say about this novel? I have two words: precious and rare. Not since I read Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie fifteen years prior, have I felt this way about a book. By the way, my imaginary friend concurs. (Hey, just because I missed out on having an imaginary friend when I was a child, that doesn’t mean I can’t have one now.) 
  
RATING: 5 out of 5 stars

Comment: After reading Crenshaw, I couldn’t help but be reminded of two other imaginary characters. First, there’s Harvey, the six-foot, three-and-a-half inch tall rabbit from the 1950 movie of the same name starring James Stewart. Then there’s Puff, the Magic Dragon, the 1963 Peter, Paul, and Mary song. To this day, whenever I hear it play, I can’t help but choke up. By the way, if you’ve never heard the song before, google it and take a listen. If you’re a softie like me, have a tissue at the ready.