What’s it all about?:
The four Casson children, whose mother, Eve, is a fine-arts painter, have all been given the names of paint colors. Cadmium (Caddy), is the eldest; then Saffron (Saffy); Indigo, the only boy; and Rose, the youngest. When Saffy discovers quite by accident that she has been adopted, she is deeply upset, though the others assure her that it makes no difference at all. Saffy is the daughter of Eve’s twin sister, who lived in Siena, Italy, and died in a car crash. Grandad brought Saffy, as a very small child, back from Siena.
At Grandad’s death he leaves something to each of the children. To Saffy, it is “her angel,” although no one knows its identity. How Saffy discovers what her angel is, with the help of an energetic new friend, lies at the heart of this enchanting story. Unforgettable characters come alive in often deeply humorous and always absorbing events to be treasured for a long, long time.
What did I think?:
Hello everyone and welcome to the September episode of a regular feature on bibliobeth that I have taken part in with my sister Chrissi Reads pretty much as long as I have been blogging – Beth And Chrissi Do Kid Lit. This month’s choice, Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay comes highly recommended with some stellar reviews on GoodReads and now after reading it, I can certainly see why. I was utterly charmed by this sweet middle grade read and the Casson family in general and am now wondering if I should continue the series just to check out what this colourful family get up to in the future. I’d love to know if anyone has read the entire set of books, are the rest of them as good as the first and is it worth reading on?
But, back to the book for a moment. Saffy’s Angel is the story of the Casson family, four children who have all been named after colours – the youngest Rose, the only boy Indigo, our main protagonist Saffron and her older sister Cadmium. Their father works away quite a lot and they are mainly looked after by their mother who works as an artist, is incredibly creative but slightly scatty and as a result, their house resembles a bit of a bear pit. However, the children are encouraged to express their artistic sides and although their lives are quite haphazard at times, their is a lot of love and support in the family. Unfortunately, things take a sudden shift when two things happen to disrupt the normal but crazy flow in the Casson household. Firstly, Saffy finds out that her mother is actually her auntie (and obviously her brother and sisters are now, in fact her cousins) and secondly, her beloved grandfather who brought her over from Siena, Italy when her mother passed away has in turn died too. Her Grandad leaves Saffy an angel in his will and the rest of the novel follows Saffy as she makes a new friend and sets off on an adventure to find the mysterious angel and learn more about herself as a person.
I was entranced by this novel from the first few pages, mainly because of the vibrant cast of characters that Hilary McKay has created but also because of the wonderful humor which had me chuckling instantly. I loved each of the children individually and for different reasons but generally speaking they all came alive, bursting off the page with their own quirky personalities and strange little ways. I loved how a younger Caddy made her hamster dance over the kitchen table after dipping its little feet in a pot of paint, I adored Indigo and his daily fight with the things that scare him and when three of the children take a road trip to Wales, I laughed fit to burst at Rose when she wrote hilarious signs to hold up at cars behind them to explain Caddy’s erratic driving behaviour! Hilary McKay has a fantastic gift for writing characters that not only make you snort tea through your nose (yes, this actually happened) but are so heart-warming that you actually feel quite bereft when the book is finished and you have to leave them behind. I’m really hoping that Chrissi has enjoyed this book as much as I have as just writing this review has made me one hundred percent certain that I want to re-visit the Casson family once again and perhaps I can persuade her to put it on our Kid-Lit list next year!
For Chrissi’s fantastic review, please see her blog HERE.
Would I recommend it?:
But of course!
Star rating (out of 5):
COMING UP IN OCTOBER ON BETH AND CHRISSI DO KID-LIT: Black Hearts In Battersea by Joan Aiken.
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