Caddy's World

Starred review from January 30, 2012
McKay’s Forever Rose (2008) was supposed to be her final novel about the Cassons, but in this sixth outing the family sparkles as brightly as ever. The author rolls back time, focusing on oldest sibling Caddy as a 12-year-old whose life is in typical Casson disarray. Caddy’s mother is in the hospital after prematurely giving birth to Rose, and Caddy’s younger siblings, Indigo and Saffy, are up to their usual well-intentioned hijinks, derailing their often-absent father’s attempts to introduce order and nutrition into the chaotic household. Caddy’s social life is also in turmoil, with each of her best friends in a state of flux—one is resisting a scholarship to a private school, one develops an eating disorder, one is moving to Tasmania—and Caddy reaches out to each with affecting results. McKay also throws a wild card into the mix: Dingbat, a rakish classmate who tries to woo all four friends simultaneously. With effervescent characters and dialogue, this welcome addition to the Casson saga again strikes a lovely balance between humor and poignancy. Ages 10–up. Agent: Jennifer Luithlen Agency.

Starred review from March 1, 2012

Gr 4-8-The Cassons are back. Huzzah! McKay's previous five titles about this quirky British family seemed to have told the whole story, but this title is a prequel that introduces the family at a time when the eldest, Caddy, is 12, and youngest, Rose, is just arriving. As always, the humor is abundantly evident with several laugh-out-loud scenes. However, Caddy's woes and those of her three best friends are taken seriously. Dieting, moving, changing schools, a new baby, and boyfriends all figure into the girls' experiences, even as McKay gives each one a distinctly personal perspective. These are not grown-ups in children's bodies, but youngsters dealing with their concerns in ways that seem logical to them given their experience in the world. It's delightful, touching, and absolutely delicious to see these beloved characters at an earlier stage, and fans of the series will be satisfied and pleased with this return. To newcomers, it is a chance to see the family at that critical moment when Rose is born prematurely and how the stress affects each family member differently, foreshadowing the events to come in the earlier books, which take up the story and move it into the future. Charming and thoughtful, as well as funny and touching, this is another delightful time with the Cassons and their friends, all of whom are well worth knowing.-Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2012
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* The stories about the Casson family get a prequel, and Caddy, a much older sister in the previous books, steps into center stage. Here, Caddy is 12, Saffy and brother Indigo are six and five, and Rose is barely born. Barely, indeed: she is five months premature, and Eve, the children's scattered mother, must stay with her in the hospital, which necessitates father, Bill, returning from his life in London to parent the brood. The confusing parental arrangement may go over the heads of some readers, but they will be enthralled by the friendship Caddy shares with longtime mates, Ruby, the clever one; Beth, the perfectionist; and Alison, who hates everybody. Caddy is the bravest of the brave, but it is not until she must prove this in a most dramatic way that she believes it herself. In many ways, this is a story about belief. Caddy doubts that the baby will live and is unwilling to take a chance on the future, especially when it means giving up the secure friendships of the past. McKay's writing is like the Cassons themselves: unpredictable, touchingly human, and alternatingly mad, funny, and tender. New readers will be thrilled to find there are more Casson family upheavals ahead, and old fans will be delighted to learn how it all began.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)