As huge fans of The One and Only Ivan, our family was eager to see what Katherine Applegate would write next. We were not disappointed! Crenshaw is awesome! Just as The One and Only Ivan was a book we opted to partner read with our daughter; Crenshaw was as well. Dealing with serious topics is handled masterfully by Applegate, but with our daughter’s sensitive nature, reading the book together was the right choice for our family.
Homelessness is a challenging topic to read about at any age . To create a book targeted to eight to twelve year-olds that tackles the topic is particularly difficult. The use of an imaginary friend was a powerful tool in making this book age appropriate and highly enjoyable.