I often read middle grade books because I write books for kids and I love the genre. The author has a great imagination. Crenshaw is an oversized imaginary cat; he towers over Jackson, the main character.
Jackson's family falls on hard times. Crenshaw only appears to Jackson. Poverty and homelessness are themes throughout the book. Despite that, the book is uplifting thanks to Crenshaw.
The author handles tough subjects in a caring manner.
The heart-warming new story about family and friendships from Newbery Medal-winner Katherine Applegate.
Life is tough for ten-year-old Jackson. The landlord is often at the door, there's not much food in the fridge and he's worried that any day now the family will have to move out of their home. Again.
Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken and he's imaginary. He's come back into Jackson's life to help him but is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?
A heart-warming story about family and friendships from Newbery medal winner Katherine Applegate.
This is historical fiction, my favorite genre, and it's about Johanna Van Gogh, Vincent Van Gogh's sister-in-law. Van Gogh is one of my favorite painters. Johanna talks about Van Gogh's paintings and about the artist. She marries Theo, Vincent's brother.
Part of the story is dark because Vincent suffered mental health disorders. This story gave me good insights into Vincent's and Theo's personalities.
While the story focuses on Johanna, Theo, and Vincent, there is another story in the book. It's about a fictional character named Emsley Wilson. She lives in the present day and finds Johanna's diary. Emsley is an auctioneer. The chapters alternate between Johanna's world and Emsley's.
"This book draws all the emotions out of you. I went from tears to snorting with laughter. It was both lighthearted and heart breaking, yet it inspires me to live my best life! " Michelle Cox
When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.
Johanna inherited Vincent van Gogh's paintings. They were all she had, and they weren't worth anything. She was a 28 year old widow…
Jane Armstrong Tucker worked as a Boston stenographer. She struggled to get by in the Gilded Age until she was offered a job as a spy. (How many of us would like a gig like that?) This is based on a true story. Jane became Agnes, an under cover agent who delved into a society scandal among the Washington, D.C. elite. Her target was the former mistress of a congressman.
This true story reads like a great detective novel.
Jane Armstrong Tucker was a Boston stenographer scrabbling to get by as a single woman in the Gilded Age, until she was offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Madeleine Pollard was a Kentuckian with humble roots who had used charisma to work her way into the parlors of the Washington, DC, elite. Tucker hid behind an alias-Agnes Parker-but Pollard had a secret, too. Alias Agnes details the story of Jane Tucker, who took a job as an undercover detective with a ten-week mission. Her target: Madeleine Pollard, former mistress of Congressman William C. P. Breckinridge, whom she had sued for breach of…
At age 12, Mary Anning found the skeleton of the first ichthyosaurus, a fish-like creature that lived during the Jurassic Period. It was more than 17 feet long. However, according to the men in London's Geological Society, they called Mary a fraud because: * She was female. * She was 12 years old. * She had no formal education. * She was poor. That didn't stop Mary. My story follows Mary's determination and skill. Today, she is known as the Mother of Paleontology.
