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Searching... Newberg Public Library | J FICTION MCKAY | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Feisty Rose takes center stage as the highly original Casson family faces a long, hot summer.
As usual, things are a bit chaotic. Eldest daughter Caddy is now engaged to darling Michael, and she's not altogether sure she likes it. Saffy and Sarah are on a mission to find Saffy's biological father (while cultivating hearts of stone). Indigo is cautiosly beginning a friendship with a reformed bully, who desparately wants to feel like part of the Casson family. Rose, while missing Tom (who none of them have heard from) dreadfully, enters into a life of petty crime, shoplifting small items until her misadventures nearly bring disaster. An accidental trip to London and a visit with Rose's father lead to a startling revelation, but through it all Rose's single-minded determination to find Tom remains as fierce as it is hopeless. Oris it?
Hilary McKay has painted the fond mayhem of this delightul family with such humor, warmth, and authenticity that readers will fall in love with them all over again. Once you've visited the Casson household, you may never want to leave.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-This is the sequel (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2005) to Hilary McKay's Indigo's Star (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2004) and Saffy's Angel (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2002), featuring the Casson family. The summer that Indy's friend Tom leaves for New York to care for his baby sister in America, the family grows up and makes some mature decisions. Cassy vacillates between wanting to marry Michael and breaking off the engagement. Saffy and her friend Sarah turn to the Internet to find Saffy's biological father, and Rose's shoplifting habits intensify as she tries to fill the void of Tom's absence. Indigo uses Le Morte D'Arthur as therapy for Rose, but surprisingly, it's redeemed ex-bully and gang member David who effectively dissuades Rose from a life of crime by sharing his past experiences. Sophie Aldred's narration is engaging and energetic. Vocal interpretations of characters are spot-on, albeit stereotypical in boorish David's case, while Rose and Saffy's characters border on shrill but remain vivacious and witty. The rainbow of experiences and the quick-moving plot will enthrall listeners who will eagerly await the next installment.-Ann Crewdson, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a starred review, PW wrote, "McKay creates characters so fully formed that readers can enjoy this as a standalone-but will more likely scamper off to find the earlier novels about the Casson family." Ages 8-12. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) The Casson family -- parents Bill and Eve and their four paint-color-named children, Cadmium, Indigo, Saffron, and Rose -- previously reported on in Saffy's Angel and Indigo's Star (rev. 7/02 and 9/04), has lost none of its sparkle in this third book. Saffron and her pal Sarah go on a search for the identity of Saffy's biological father. Rose, pining for Tom, the friend who has disappeared back to America, takes up shoplifting. David, a minor character in Indigo's Star, moves center stage, giving us an insider's look at how bullies think and feel. The narrative is punctuated with moments of delicious triumph. Rose learns to read, courtesy of Le Morte d'Arthur and the kindness of Indigo. David, previously known as ""horrible-rubbish-David,"" saves the day in an act of derring-do. Saffy finds her father's identity -- not (in retrospect, perhaps) a surprise to attentive Casson watchers, but cunningly revealed by McKay. Samantha, Bill's girlfriend (or as Bill puts it, ""my -- er"") dumps him. Without a single Hallmark moment, McKay limns the nature of love in all its variety and hope -- Lancelot's love for Guinevere, Rose's for Tom, Michael's (""don't call me darling, I'm a driving instructor!"") for Caddy, David's for Sarah, Bill's for himself, and Eve's for the universe. This is exemplary comic writing -- buoyant, perceptive, subversive, and trailing a whiff of melancholy. Readers will be loath to leave the Cassons behind. Dare we hope that Caddy will have a book of her own? (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Readers who have fallen in love with the eccentric, cheerfully chaotic Casson family from the award-winning Saffy's Angel (2002) and Indigo's Star (2004) may initially resent the intrusion of David, the enormous ex-tormenter of Indigo, who seems as if he'll never be accepted into the fold. Still, this disarming family could charm snakes, and David proves indispensable: Saving Rose from a life of crime as she dabbles in shoplifting; helping her bury a cat and un-bury her sister Caddy's diamond ring (that Rose stole); even helping her reconnect with her long-lost American friend Tom. As ever, the family's hardships are softened by kindness: Rose waits daily at the mailbox for a letter from Tom, but Caddy's fiancÉ, Michael, gives her a rose every single day to ease her pain. Even the shocking revelation about the adopted Saffron's biological father doesn't destroy the indomitable Cassons. This fine, funny sequel, with its wonderful dialogue and utterly effortless-seeming weave of plots and characters, stands on its own, but readers will certainly want to get their hands on the first two. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 6-9. Fans of McKay's previous titles about the irrepressible, artsy Casson family-- Saffy's Angel (2002) and Indigo's Star (2004)--will delight in this latest adventure, set during a steamy English summer. Each Casson wrestles with individual, heart-tugging dramas: eldest child Caddy, ambivalent about her new engagement, loses her diamond ring; cousin Saffy searches for her unknown father; Rose pines for a departed friend and takes up shoplifting; brother Indigo consoles her with stories from Le morte d'Arthur. As usual, McKay introduces several winning newcomers into the Casson's muddled, welcoming house, and slow, lumbering David, who once bullied Indigo, proves to be the family's unlikely Sir Lancelot. McKay's cheeky, often irreverent tone in scenes about the Casson parents' marital tension and the father's infidelity may baffle some younger readers, and the crowded plot, like the Casson family itself, threatens to careen out of control. But with her sly, precise characterizations, McKay once again creates a subversive, hilarious, and achingly tender view of the messy, fierce ties, broken and remade, that link families and friends together. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2005 Booklist