Crenshaw

 Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate.

 

Publisher : Square Fish; (September 26, 2017)
Paperback : 272 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250091667

 

Amazon Review

 

In her first novel since The One and Only Ivan, winner of the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.
Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?
Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary. This title has Common Core connections.

From the same author of The One and Only Ivan comes a totally different book. In many ways I found this story very sad. But, yet this family had a lot of love to pull them through "the rough times" of not having enough money to pay the rent or bills.  It was all to familiar to me. 

On a different note. I never had an imaginary friend.  And if I did, I was to young to remember.  Truth be told, I could use one Now!

Remarkable Creatures

  

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier.

 

Publisher : Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 26, 2010)
Language : English
Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 0452296722

 

Amazon Review:

 

From the New York Times bestselling novelist, a stunning historical novel that follows the story of Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, two extraordinary 19th century fossil hunters who changed the scientific world forever.

On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, poor and uneducated Mary learns that she has a unique gift: "the eye" to spot ammonites and other fossils no one else can see. When she uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious community on edge, the townspeople to gossip, and the scientific world alight. After enduring bitter cold, thunderstorms, and landslips, her challenges only grow when she falls in love with an impossible man.

Mary soon finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth, a middle-class spinster who shares her passion for scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy, but ultimately turns out to be their greatest asset.

 

 For me, this book is a "reread".  When I first read it was in 2011, ten years ago!

Every now and then programs on tv include Archeologists that dig up "history" in Egypt.  I love watching it and I think I get as excited about the smallest find as they do!  From time to time I remembered this book.  The ladies are not Archeologists but look for fossils along the seaside.

Of course back in the 1800's women were not thought to  have intelligence enough to even know what they are looking for.  But, trust me, they do.

They begin to find skeletons of "monsters" never before seen or known about.  Still they received no recognition for finding them, cleaning them  and putting their bones back together to see what they even looked like.

It's a lesson in history.

It's a lesson in the difference between the poor and the rich.

It makes you want to walk the beaches with them and find something "Remarkable" !

The One and Only Bob

 The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate.

Publisher : HarperCollins; Illustrated edition (May 5, 2020)
Hardcover : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0062991310

Amazon Review

Return to the unforgettable world of the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling novel The One and Only Ivan (soon to be a major motion picture!) in this incredible sequel, starring Ivan’s friend Bob!

Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.

Bob, Ivan, and Ruby have touched the hearts of millions of readers, and their story isn’t over yet. Catch up with these beloved friends before the star-studded film adaptation of The One and Only Ivan hits theaters in August 2020!

Katherine Applegate has written these two books (The Only and Only Ivan) for young people.  Book number 2 (The One and Only Bob) began a little slower for me, however, I was enjoyable enough to keep reading, and I am glad I did !  The second half of the book was exciting  and touching and well worth the wait!

I know that The One and Only Ivan was made into a Disney Movie a few years ago, but I've never seen it and am disappointed that it's not a dvd that I can buy.

These 2 books wind up really "feel good" books.  Excellent for children and for old adults that need a break from reality!

Diamonds and Dust

 Diamonds and Dust by Carol Hedges.

 

Publisher : Little G Books; 2nd edition (January 11, 2016)
Publication date : January 11, 2016
Print length : 263 pages

 

 

Amazon Review:

 

When a horrific murder takes place on a dark night in 1860's London, it changes two women for ever. New light is cast upon past lives they thought they knew so well, and suddenly their futures become intertwined.

The death of her uncle will leave eighteen-year-old Josephine King an orphan, an heiress and the owner of a priceless diamond, The Eye of the Khan. For Lilith Marks, a chance finally arises to end her life as a highly paid prostitute and to prove herself as a serious businesswoman.

Set against the backdrop of the great gas-lit city, the two women are drawn together in their quest to discover just who killed the man they both loved.

Diamonds & Dust is a page-whizzing narrative, with an intricate and absorbing plot that entices you through the teeming streets of Victorian London. If Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle all washed up on a desert island, they might have come up with something like this.

 

When I got this book I didn't realize there were many more to come!  Having said that, I do consider this book a "stand alone" story.

To me, it was very enjoyable.  I love almost anything that takes place in"old England!"

You should take a chance on it and read it!!

Thank you Cath, for suggesting it to me!