Katherine Applegate is the author of many wonderful books including Crenshaw, The One and Only Ivan, and Wishtree. The One and Only Ivan, one of her most well known books, is about a gorilla named Ivan that lives in a mall in Washington.  Ivan faces the many struggles of wild animals in captivity. The book is fictional, but it is based on a real gorilla. One of my favorite things about this book is that my dad was born in Washington and saw the real Ivan with his older brother. He does not remember it well, but my uncle does. Katherine Applegate has a great imagination and amazing writing techniques.

One of her other books, Crenshaw really shows off her imagination. This book is about a giant, imaginary cat that helps a young boy through a time when his family does not have much money and comes close to losing their home forever. This story is truly inspiring and teaches the reader about hope and family.

Her most recent book, Wishtree, is another touching, creative story. The story is told from the point of view of a tree, named Red, that is not an ordinary tree. He wishes to talk and change the mood of his neighborhood, but doing this would break every rule of being a tree. This book was featured at our book fair that took place a few weeks ago. This is a simple story that highlights a real world problem, hate crimes.

Katherine Applegate uses her voice as a writer to spread awareness of problems in today’s society. Her writing is an amazing expression of imagination and creativity.