Indigo's Star

Rating:
Summary: Clever Cassons adventure #2
Review: Although this book is not described as a sequel to Saffy's Angel, it should be. The quirky Casson family is introduced in the earlier book, and the characters and background are established in it, providing important depth and shared experiences which are referred to in this second book. Plus, Saffy's Angel is a delightful book, and well worth reading. If you are not familiar with this family, you should start with the understanding that the Casson family is dysfunctional in a benign way: There is an absentee father, a ditsy artist mother, and 4 neglected children who have to fend for themselves, ranging in age from 8 to 18. All the children have good hearts, so they effectively take care of themselves and their friends, and their mom. Indigo's Star then, covers an eventful school year centered around the only Casson boy, Indigo. A gang of bullies in his class are tormenting him, though they quickly shift their attention to Tom, who is visiting from America. The Casson girls, especially the youngest, Rose, support the boys against the bullies in the most unexpected ways. There is humor here, and cleverness too, and that Roald Dahl empowerment of children that enables them to outwit adults and conquer the strong and powerful. A good entertaining tale.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I picked up a copy of Indigo's Star in a bookstore and sat down to look it over. A couple of hours later I was well into the story and I knew I couldn't leave without my own copy. This book is, in a word, perfect. The characters are one of a kind, the story is funny and warm-hearted, and all in all it has that special flavor that can only be found in the pages of a book by Hilary McKay. Read this book! You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: excellent, wonderful, fun, great
Review: If you've read McKay's hilarious "Exiles" books, treat yourself to these two "Casson family" books ("Saffy's Angel" and "Indigo's Star") -- these are even better! Rose, Indigo, Saffron, Caddie, and their friends seem like real people -- people you know (or wish you did). McKay manages what most writers cannot -- she makes you laugh and cry in the same book, and leaves you hoping she'll write a million more books about the Casson family.