Crenshaw: Chapters 1–12

by Katherine Applegate
As his family struggles financially, Jackson deals with hardship with the help of his imaginary friend, a giant cat named Crenshaw.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–40, Chapters 41–52

Here are links to our lists for other works by Katherine Applegate: Home of the Brave, Wishtree, The One and Only Ivan
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gust
    a strong current of air
    But as the cat neared shore, he made the mistake of opening his umbrella. A gust of wind yanked him into the sky.
  2. reputation
    the general estimation that the public has for a person
    At my age, it’s not good to have a reputation for being crazy.
  3. paleontologist
    a specialist in fossil organisms and related remains
    For a while, my friend Marisol and I both wanted to be paleontologists and search for dinosaur fossils.
  4. pose
    assume a bearing as for artistic purposes
    Once my parents took me to see the Easter Bunny at the mall. We stood on fake grass next to a giant fake egg in a giant fake basket. When it was my turn to pose with the bunny, I took one look at his paw and yanked it right off.
  5. tuft
    a bunch or cluster of strands, as of grass, hair, etc.
    It had a gold wedding ring and tufts of blondish hair.
  6. bawl
    cry loudly
    A little girl started bawling.
  7. distract
    draw someone's attention away from something
    If you run out of cereal and your stomach’s still growling, you can always try chewing a piece of gum to distract yourself.
  8. bran
    food prepared from the husks of cereal grains
    Crenshaw showed up—at least he seemed to show up—while we were busy throwing my dad’s bran cereal into Robin’s cap.
  9. gobble
    eat hastily without proper chewing
    Robin gobbled down two jelly beans.
  10. caviar
    salted fish eggs eaten as a delicacy
    “Mom,” I yelled, “did you buy some jelly beans?”
    “Sure,” she called back from the kitchen. “They’re to go with the caviar.”
  11. peer
    look searchingly
    I went to the window and peered outside.
  12. logical
    based on known statements or events or conditions
    Rule number one for scientists is this: There is always a logical explanation for things.
  13. delirious
    experiencing hallucinations
    Maybe the jelly beans weren’t real, and I was just tired or sick. Delirious, even.
    I checked my forehead. Unfortunately, I did not seem to have a fever.
  14. gaze
    look at with fixed eyes
    I was lying on the grass near a picnic table, gazing up at the stars blinking to life.
  15. curmudgeon
    an irascible, cantankerous person full of stubborn ideas
    Dad says his uncle was a charming curmudgeon, which I think means grumpy with some niceness thrown in.
  16. keepsake
    something of sentimental value
    A couple of hours after the mysterious jelly bean appearance during cerealball, my mom gave Robin and me each a grocery bag. She said they were for our keepsakes.
  17. theory
    a tentative insight into the natural world
    “Did you know that you can hold a crocodile’s jaws closed with a rubber band?” I asked.
    My dad smiled. “I wouldn’t want to have been the first person who tested that theory.”
  18. pout
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    She didn’t ask me, because she was pouting about my bathtub comment.
  19. optimist
    a person disposed to take a favorable view of things
    But my parents were optimists. They looked at half a glass of water and figured it was half full, not half empty.
  20. pessimist
    a person who expects the worst
    Not me. Scientists can’t afford to be optimists or pessimists. They just observe the world and see what is.
  21. sclerosis
    any pathological hardening or thickening of tissue
    He found out he has this disease called multiple sclerosis.
  22. financial
    involving fiscal matters
    My dad said not to worry. That we just were a little financially challenged.
  23. observant
    quick to notice; showing quick and keen perception
    I am very observant, which is a useful thing for a scientist to be.
  24. barbarian
    a member of an uncivilized people
    My dad shook his head. “We're not barbarians.”
  25. resort
    have recourse to
    “Really?” My dad was yelling. “So now we're resorting to fortune cookie wisdom? Like that’s going to help put food in our kids’ mouths?”
Created on Fri Aug 31 17:21:03 EDT 2018 (updated Thu Sep 06 14:54:40 EDT 2018)

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