Monday, May 25, 2009

The Delightful Casson Family Returns!

McKay, Hilary. Indigo's Star. New York: McElderry, 2003.
McKay, Hilary. Permanent Rose. New York: McElderry, 2005.
McKay, Hilary. Caddy Ever After. New York: McElderry, 2006.
McKay, Hilary. Forever Rose. New York: McElderry, 2008.

You will remember the Casson Family (Caddy, Saffy, Indigo, and Rose) from Saffy's Angel. Their hilarious adventures continue in four more novels.

In Indigo's Star, Indigo returns to school after a lengthy illness. He dreads school because he's being tormented by a gang of bullies. His family unites to help him with his problem. Saffy almost snatches the gang leader bald. Rose volunteers to help in any way she can. Indigo and Rose make a new friend in Tom, an American boy staying with his Grandmother.

In Permanent Rose, Rose endures a hot, never-ending summer. She's taken up shoplifting as a new hobby. She misses Tom who returned to America. She's worried that Caddy will jilt darling Michael. The family collects a new friend: David, reformed gang member. Without meaning to,m Rose ends up on a train to London and talks herself into accompanying her father to America.

In Caddy Ever After, the Casson family is just as crazy as ever. Indigo tries to get everyone to attend the Valentine's dance. Saffy has a new boyfriend. Caddy has dumped Michael and engaged herself to Alex, the brother of Saffy's boyfriend. Rose doesn't know what to do, but she does know that Caddy shouldn't marry Alex. She must stop the wedding.

In Forever Rose, Rose is now 11 years old and her family has (unintentionally) abandoned her. Saffy and her friend Sarah are always gone. Indigo has a job. Caddy went in search pf Michael and promptly disappeared. Her father's still in London. Her mother's still in the shed. Christmas is coming and no one seems to care.

What I Thought: From the moment I read Saffy's Angel, I've loved the Casson family. They're so quirky. What I enjoy most about the books is that they don't really focus on one character, they're more concerned with the family as a whole. Indigo's Star and Permanent Rose were similar to Saffy's Angel in that they had third person narration. Caddy Ever After was quite different because the chapters presented a different family member's point-of-view. We hear from all four of the siblings. Forever Rose is told from Rose's point-of-view. To accurately portray her loneliness and sense of abandonment, no other point-of-view would work as well. I was sad when I read Forever Rose because it's the last book about the Casson family. Hilary, if you're reading this, please wrote more about this delightful family.

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