A Free Activity Booklet for Crenshaw, by Katherine Applegate
By Lily | Published 2 January 2023 | This post may contain affiliate links.
Introducing the FREE Activity Booklet for Crenshaw!
Crenshaw is a bold, oversized cat with a black-and-white coat. He first entered Jackson’s life when Jackson was five years old, during the summer after first grade—just when Jackson needed a true friend. To learn more about the story, check out the Crenshaw book summary!
This activity pack is a fun way to celebrate finishing the book. By helping kids understand and enjoy what they read, it encourages a love of reading while supporting academic success and personal growth. The printables focus on three key areas:
Building vocabulary
Improving reading comprehension
Encouraging creative responses to the story
Let’s get started and make reading even more fun!
Three Ways to Build Critical Thinking Skills
1. Learn New Words
Learning new words helps kids talk and understand better. A bigger vocabulary makes it easier for them to share their thoughts and ideas. But kids (and adults!) need to see or hear a new word many times before they remember it. That’s why Reading Quests has fun activities to help kids practice and learn new words.
Our favorite word from Crenshaw was “flummoxed.” Crenshaw used it when he asked why Jackson’s family got a dog instead of a cat: “I am positively flummoxed as to why your family felt the need for a dog,” he said. We had fun using the word in funny ways, like:
“I am flummoxed as to why I need to brush my teeth.”
“I am flummoxed as to why I need to do homework.”
“I am flummoxed as to why you won’t eat your vegetables.”
We laughed a lot playing this game! 😊
What was your family’s favorite word from Crenshaw?
2. Understand the Story Better:
After reading a book, it’s important for kids to practice reading comprehension. This helps them understand and make sense of what they’ve read. When kids enjoy and understand books, they’re more likely to develop a love for reading that lasts a lifetime. This habit not only brings joy but also supports academic success and personal growth.
That’s why Reading Quests offers reading comprehension printables for every book in our library—including Crenshaw!
3. Creative Reading Response:
Practicing reading comprehension after finishing a book helps kids understand and make sense of the story. When kids enjoy and grasp what they read, it can spark a lifelong love of reading. This not only brings joy but also supports their school success and personal growth.
That’s why Reading Quests includes reading comprehension activities for every book in our library—like Crenshaw!
RELATED: Check out these Crenshaw-themed activities to continue the reading fun!
– Goodreads review by Calista
“I knew nothing of this book before going in but it was supposed to be good. WOW! Love. It seems like this book will be about an imaginary friend and it is. Then Katherine Applegate super ninja's you and she gives only hints about Crenshaw the imaginary cat and she shows you the raw painful world of Jackson and the life he leads. This book is about poverty. The end does address the help Imaginary friends give. What an amazing fantastic book. It is so raw and real. I am so affected by this book. I think this is a masterpiece. I think this could help anyone going through some real tough times.”
Download Crenshaw Book Study here.
About the Author
Beloved author Katherine Applegate is the author of several best-selling young adult series, including Animorphs and Roscoe Riley Rules. Home of the Brave, her first standalone novel, received the SCBWI 2008 Golden Kite Award for Best Fiction and the Bank Street 2008 Josette Frank Award. She lives with her family in Irvine, California.
This title has Common Core connections.