Indigo's Star (Casson Family)

As always, the Casson kids are courageous, delightful, complex, funny, resourceful, creative, etc. And their parents are criminally neglectful selfish pigs.What the father does at the end of the book does not mitigate his selfishness. It only highlights it. He has lots of money but the kids go hungry. What a jerk! (That isn't the word I wanted to use!)As has been mentioned, the book is as much about the kid with thorns, Rose, as it is about Indigo. But there is plenty about him.Adults really ought to read some teen fiction, with an open mind. They would discover that adults are almost always portrayed as jerks, intentional or unintentional jerks. There must be a reason for that beyond "teen rebelliousness."

More ups in this one, especially for Indigo. Rose develops a very definite personality, and the siblings gain a new friend.

This is the second Hilary McCay book I have read today! I adore the Casson Family! Would recommend to anyone, young or old who is looking for a pleasant afternoon escape!

The Cassons are an odd family. The children are all named after colors – Cadmium, Saffron, Indigo, and Rose – and one, Saffron, is really a cousin (for more information, read “Saffy’s Angel”). Their parents are artists – scatterbrained Eve paints portraits of children and pets and teaches an art class for juvenile delinquents on the side, while organized, practical Bill does “real” art at a studio in London and hardly ever comes home.But in some ways, the Cassons go through what every family does. Caddy brings home boyfriend after boyfriend, trying to explore her options before settling on Darling Michael. Rose writes increasingly terrifying letters to her father in attempts to make him come home. Indigo, however, may have the most difficult time of all: not only has he been out of school for a whole term with mono, he’s still the target of the school bullies. Indigo’s new American friend, Tom, with his smooth talking and cool defiance of any and all rules, may turn things around, especially since Rose gets along with Tom, too. But Tom has problems of his own, and it seems that only the Cassons can bring him to sense.I didn’t love “Saffy’s Angel,” but I enjoyed it enough to seek out this companion. Unfortunately, I found that “Indigo’s Star” features little of the charm of “Saffy’s Angel” and most of the twee. Caddy and Michael’s hilarious exchanges, which I found to be one of the best parts of “Angel,” are absent in favor of a few deadbeat boyfriends (except, of course, for Derek, who deserves rather more page time than he gets). Saffy and Sarah, the duo that shone so in “Angel,” might as well not be in “Star” at all. And Rose is still Rose: bratty and annoyingly precocious, although her urgent letters to Bill and her devotion to Tom almost save her.But “Star” isn’t all bad. Saffy and Sarah may be long gone, but Indigo and Tom make up for it. Rarely were there ever two friends that needed each other more, and their relationship grows beautifully. Tom teaches Indigo not to be scared of heights, and Indigo teaches Tom that when it comes to family, you have to take the bad with the good. The adults are better, too: the cynical Bill is made almost human; dreamy Eve is both lauded and laughed at. And Tom’s grandmother is both kind and responsible, bringing the total of kind, responsible adults in this series up to . . . one.Overall, it’s a nice and competently written read, but by no means a standout. I’ll give “Permanent Rose” a try and see if I want to continue with this series. The bad qualities could outweigh the good – but it could just as well be the other way around, and how will I know if I don’t try?

This is the second in the series that I've read. They are written for either kids or YAs, so they go quickly.I like the characters, and I think they are pretty well-drawn. The situations they get into are realistic, and they do a good job of navigating them, alone and with eachother's help.But- in some ways the family reminds me of the way my sister and I used to play dolls: first we killed off the parents, and then the stories started. Here, the parents aren't dead... but for all the regular impact on their kids' lives, they may as well be. The dad has vanished into a more glamorous and prosperous new life, abandoning his family for the most part. The mom is vague enough that there is not infrequently no food in the house, nor likely the money to buy any. Meanwhile, while Daad is living in elegance and jaunting off to Paris, the kids are living in squalor. OK, they don't seem to mind... but ??!!If you like L'Engle, you might well like these, though these are less twee than some of L'Engle's more recent books, especially about the Austins. In short, I can see many kids from more distant homes loving these. The family is written well. But- the whole squalor thing while Dad swans it bothers me a lot, and here it's treated rather like a forgivable, trivial eccentricity rather than a huge selfish irresponsibility.But- charming and heartwarming, yeah, and well-written, too.

I just finished listening to "Indigo's Star." It picks up where "Saffy's Angel" ended and is the touching story of Indigo Casson and the problems he has with a gang of thugs and bullies at his school. Indigo makes his first real friend, Tom, an American living with his British grandmother for the term. In many ways this is Tom's story as much as Indigo's. Tom is in England to escape the realities of his father's remarriage. He is a gifted guitarist and longs to purchase a special guitar at the local music store. Indigo's sister, Permanent Rose, latches on to Tom and considers him as much her friend as her brother's. She is determined to get that guitar for Tom. The rest of the eccentric Casson family returns from the earlier novel. Oldest daughter Caddy is at university and besieged by suitors. Adopted sister Saffy and her friend Sarah are fiercely protective of the family members. Permanent Rose is trying hard to engage their mostly absent father in the family's life. Their dottie mother, Eve, is enjoying more artistic success than her husband but cannot manage to keep groceries in the house.Helen Lederer's narration of the audio version is excellent.This is another wonderful visit with characters that seem so real they are like my own dear friends. I cannot wait to read the next book, "Permanent Rose." Highly recommended.

Another heart-warming adventure into the colour-filled Casson family. Beautiful depiction of sibling relationships and childhood. Good for little and big souls.

my daughter enjoyed this, especially as it had the same narrator as others in the series.

Written by S (nearly 10)Funny but a bit sad at the end. Good book. This is the 2nd in the series.

My 11 year old daughter got bored half way through. Maybe for a slightly younger reader.

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! I FIRST IT STARTED BORING BUT AT THE END I BEGGED MY MUM TO GET ME THE NEXT BOOK!!!!!FAB BOOK READ IT OH MY DOG IT'S AMAZING