Saffy's Angel

Casson Family #1

by Hilary McKay, Ann Sullivan (Designed by)

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.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Family

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Hilary McKay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire and is the eldest of four girls. From a very early age she read voraciously and grew up in a household of readers. Hilary says of herself as a child "I anaesthetised myself against the big bad world with large doses of literature. The local library was as familiar to me as my own home."

After reading Botany and Zoology at St. Andrew's University Hilary then went on to work as a biochemist in an Analysis Department. Hilary enjoyed the work but at the same time had a burning desire to write. After the birth of her two children, Hilary wanted to devote more time to bringing up her children and writing so decided to leave her job.

One of the best things about being a writer, says Hilary, is receiving letters from children. She wishes that she had written to authors as a child, but it never occurred to her to contact them

Hilary now lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family. When not writing Hilary loves walking, reading, and having friends to stay.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saffy's Angel is poignant and hilarious, and very, very British, and absolutely fabulous. I don't quite know how to recap it without ruining the constant surprise of the humor, but why don't you meet the characters?

Here's Rose:

Rose was still awake, late though it was. She was painting a desert landscape on the white wall of the landing. She had got rid of her father very successfully when he telephoned. Saffron had hardly been mentioned; the discussion had been all about art. The desert landscape was the direct result of her father's telling her to start small and stick to painting only what she knew.

Meet Sarah:

"I will say I want to take my beanbag," said Sarah, ignoring Saffron's squeaks on the phone. "I often take my beanbag on car trips. It's enormous and you're not very big. I'll empty it out and cover you in the cover and pile a lot of stuff around, and they'll never notice. They're used to me having a lot of stuff. As you know. What do you say?"

"Goodbye," said Saffron. "You have obviously gone mad."

There's Caddy, of the debatable driving skills and immersive studying techniques and love of guinea pigs. She's quirky and individual, a quintessential Casson, but also a recognizable teenager, and I wish she was in the story more.

There's Indigo of the photographic ears, who tries to combat fear of heights by facing it head-on - to be more specific, by dangling his feet off his second-story bedroom windowsill. (Don't worry, though, he can hold onto the curtains; they're very sturdy.)

And, of course, there's Saffron, the Saffy of the title, who isn't on the Casson color chart. Who meets Sarah, the girl next door, and finds out that maybe Eve isn't just messing around painting in the shed.Who is willed a stone angel by her grandfather - a stone angel that is missing.

I haven't even mentioned the adults yet - Mr. and Mrs. Warbeck! Peter the taxi driver! The dysfunctional parenting duo of Eve and Bill! Michael the driving instructor!

The book builds its characters very cleverly, with little anecdotes just real enough to be inherently humorous and smart enough to be intentionally, side-splittingly funny. Then comes the end of the book, one giant laugh-out-loud conclusion as all the pieces come together in ridiculous, unexpected ways complete with sparkling dialogue and notes from Rose. (The notes from Rose are not to be missed.)

This isn't much of a review - in fact, I'm amazed I got out this much - and it's fractured because I've been rereading chapters and checking paperback prices in between paragraphs. Saffy's Angel is that great.

[Sherwood Smith]

A LiveJournal friend introduced me to the novels of Hilary McKay. They are not fantasies or science fiction, and yet one of their attractions is that peculiar timelessness of certain types of family novels that center around kids, as written by English authors. Well, no, a few Americans have done them, though not many as far as I know. Elizabeth Enright being one. But anyway, they remind me of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle and Antonia Forest's Marlows (note just how much used copies go for!). It's not that the characters live sunny lives full of fun and games, a la the delightful summers of Swallows and Amazons—the emotions can be quite harrowing, all the moreso because they resonate with truth. But at the core there is deep family love, and no attempt made to divide people into bad guys and good guys: just stories about delightfully quirky people trying to make sense of the world. And when the world tries to reshape one into conformity, there is the family ready to accept you back as you, with all your warts. Saffy's Angel begins with the Cassons when they are small, and one by one we get to know them, and their friends, and even the parents (who are not boring at all) in this lovely, lovely book and series.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s very hard to explain why this book is so beautiful and so moving. I can start with the barest of summaries:

Saffron didn’t know she was adopted until she couldn’t find her name on the paint color chart in the Cassons’ wonderfully disorganized house. Even though Eve and Bill Casson, her aunt and uncle, treat her as one of their own children, Saffy feels left out--until her grandfather’s will reveals a legacy she’d almost forgotten, a stone angel from her old home in Italy.

But this doesn’t begin to touch the intricacies of the plot or the depth of characterization or the sheer craziness of it. Every character we meet has a wealth of story bursting off the pages, from Caddy who keeps failing her driving lessons so she can keep the attractive instructor Michael from leaving, to Saffy’s best friend Sarah who never stops pushing Saffy to find out what happened to the angel, to Bill and Eve’s weird and probably dysfunctional relationship and parenting styles (though you don’t quite get to hating Bill in this book--give it time). Although Saffy’s angel forms the core of the plot, there’s so much else going on that it’s really more a story about family—not just the ones we’re born to, but the ones we make. There’s a moment early on when Michael observes Caddy, Indigo, and Rose waving madly out the window at him and feels a pang that he can’t be part of it; I can’t say I want to be part of the Casson family, but I love the way they care about each other so fiercely.

I find it very strange that my library shelves the Casson Family books in the middle-grade section, because despite the youth of some of the characters, it strikes me as appealing more to an older crowd, particularly in the way the story is told. Hilary McKay seems to specialize in these stories that don’t have a plot so much as an organic growth of events. Saffy’s Angel darts here and there, touching on the different things the Cassons care about (Indigo’s obsession with polar expeditions, for example, or Rose’s stubborn certainty that she is right about everything to do with her art) and then moving off to touch on something else—and yet always coming back to earlier points until, at the end, you discover this Caddy, Indigo, and Rose’s insane journey to Wales to find Saffy’s angel was where the whole thing was going all along, and even the things that didn’t seem important early in the story turn out to be key to that final decision. I don’t know if this kind of writing works for everyone, but I find it fascinating, more so when I read the book again knowing what’s going to happen. Saffy’s journey is like a bright little arrow moving straight through the tangles of everyone else’s actions, and what makes it wonderful is that McKay doesn’t feel the need to hammer home any points about belonging and family and identity; Saffy doesn’t have any realizations about how this really is her family and there’s no big Message. It’s just clear at every moment in the story that Saffy does belong, and Saffy knows it too.

Even so, I always cry a little at the ending When Caddy repairs the angel, and makes it better than new, the book ends before Saffy sees it, so there’s no indication of how she feels about the gift. But I like the thought that the angel, at that point, doesn’t represent Saffy’s longing for identity; it’s a mark of how she’s a part of her family, and this is something any of them might do for each other. And I find that beautiful. and at a lot of points in between, just like I laugh at Michael’s invention of Droopy Di the perfect girlfriend, and the guinea pigs, and Rose’s art projects, and the image of the Banana House they live in—laughter at the last because I don’t have to live in it myself. I love this book because it’s so many things all at once, and because it makes me happy.

[Elizabeth]

I just LOVE Hilary McKay. I have read Saffy's Angel several times now and it STILL makes me laugh out loud again and again--even when I know what's coming.

The scene where the Casson kids drive to Wales--that's just got to be the funniest scene in a hundred years of writing for children. It's just genius. I also found myself really enjoying the excavation of the house.

I say again: If more contemporary children's writers wrote like THIS, I would not be so bitter and twisted. I wish I wrote like this.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saffy's Angel starts off a bit harrowing as the author drives you immediately into the world of a family afflicted with artism and associated dysfunctions. Fortunately, that first scene includes a walk-on by a woman who can be used to represent your every-day sensibilities and if you let her carry your own quibbles and expectations as she leaves, you'll be just fine. If you can't do this, there's no way to enjoy the book so you'd best stop there.

Fortunately for those of us not tied too tightly to the expectations of reality, once you allow yourself to simply accept the world of the Casson family you'll find not only an entertaining read with delightful characters and outstanding personalities, but also a wealth of very human truth about love and family and integrity built from imperfection. Oh, and you'll also laugh yourself silly. At least I did. I'm actually, literally (and I use that word in its actual meaning) sore from laughing so hard.

Unfortunately, I can't really say more without saying a whole lot less. If quirky humor in the service of deep home-truths is at all interesting to you, you owe it to yourself to pick this gem up. I hope the rest of the series maintains that same depth and humor...

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! A touch of "everything old is new again" here. As comforting and nostalgic as warm rice pudding. The narrator's tone and the characters' language made me often feel I was reading the sort of books I read as a child (translation: books at least 25+ years old). And yet, convincingly contemporary, in particular with wry humor and unidealized characters. The author's affection for all her characters, much as she laughs at them, is one of the book's principal charms. I'm in search of the sequel already.

[Sara]

I wrote a critical essay for school on this, and it was labelled (by the teacher who hasn't read it) as "girly teen fiction", because it is not about war or best friends killing each other (although there are deaths, and best friends). Fiction? Yes. Teen? Maybe, although there is a massive variety of ages that enjoy this book. Girly? No. My brother enjoys this book. He doesn't like reading, but still he is working on getting through the rest of the series.
Maybe people on Goodreads will apprciate my essay more than my teacher did.

2008 SQA Past Paper, Prose Section
5. Choose a novel or short story in which you feel sympathy with one of the main characters because of the difficulties or injustices or hardships she or he has to face.
Describe the problems the character faces and show by what means you are made to feel sympathy for her or him.

“Saffy’s Angel” is a novel by Hilary McKay in which you feel sympathy with the main character, Saffron Casson, because of the difficulties she has to face. The novel is about Saffron, who tries to find a stone angel that was left to her in her grandfather’s will. She feels as if the angel is her last connection to her family, and overcomes many difficulties in order to find her angel.

At the start of the novel, Saffron is going through hardships when you discover she is adopted. Her mother died when she was little, so Saffron went to live with her mother’s twin sister and her family. You feel sympathy for Saffron when her aunt, Eve, who she always assumed was her mother breaks the news to her,
“‘You’re not my family,’ said Saffron.
‘We are!’ cried Eve. ‘Of course we are! We adoptedyou! We wanted you! Your mother was my sister! Caddy and Indigo and Rose are your cousins!’
‘That doesn’t count,’ said Saffron.”
Eve explains that Saffron’s grandfather used to live with her, which gives Saffron hope because her grandfather is the only family member whose relationship to her has not changed. You feel sympathy for her, because her grandfather has been sick for years and has not spoken.

The novel skips several years, and it seems that Saffron has accepted her life, although this is not the case as another injustice is coming her way. Her sister/cousin, Caddy, finds out from his nursing home that their grandfather has died.
“’You have to be sad sometimes,’ said Caddy. ‘Whatever Dad says…I shall be as unhappy as I like and I shall wear black.”
This shows that Caddy, and therefore the rest of the family, all share Saffron’s loneliness. When the family attends the funeral, there is a moment when Saffron seems contented in a strange way:
“Saffron found herself unexpectedly happy. For a little while, a few minutes, she felt part of the family. Not an outsider. It didn’t last long.”
This shows how Saffron has felt out of place for years, and when she goes to mourn the loss of a relative that her family loves as much as she does, it almost makes her fit in. The last sentence in the paragraph renews your sympathy for Saffron.

The next hardship Saffron faces is the possible loss of her stone angel, a symbol of her grandfather loving her in her eyes. Her father, Bill, reads out her grandfather’s will, and at first it seems she has been forgotten. On the back of the will there is a tiny note, that says her grandfather left Saffron a stone angel. Bill laughs at her and ridicules the idea:
“’Saffy, Saffy, Saffy,’ said Bill, laughing. ‘That was just a note. Wandering. Not even witnessed. Wouldn’t be legal whatever it was…’”
Bill leads everyone to believe that Saffy’s angel does not exist, or if it does then it doesn’t belong to her. Saffron meets the “girl in the wheelchair”, who lives down the road from her called Sarah, the daughter of the headmistress of the local private school. Sarah and Saffron discuss the angel in detail, and Saffy feels happy because, as the author explains, she has never had a “proper friend.” She is reluctant to let her family meet Sarah, because she knows that they will like her and Sarah will become a family friend as opposed to Saffron’s friend:
“Saffron had lost her grandfather only the week before. She had lost her family twice… She seemed to have been losing people all her life and she had no intention of losing the first proper friend she had ever made.”
This makes you sympathetic to Saffron, but it was a little selfish anyway. Sarah’s mother thinks Saffron is a bad influence and is very angry when Sarah and Saffron both get nose studs, which Sarah pressures Saffron to do. Sarah formulates a plan so she and her parents go to Saffron’s hometown in Italy and she plans for Saffron to come too, which her mother is reluctant to allow after the nose stud incident, and blames Saffron for giving Sarah ideas. You feel sympathy for Saffron because it seems once again that she will not find her angel.

The next difficulty Saffron faces is handling going to where she used to live with her mother. She finally makes it to Italy with Sarah’s family and the two of them visit Saffron’s old house. Saffron is overwhelmed by emotion and begins to cry:
“Perhaps it was because this was where she had lived with her mother, and one day had walked away from, and had never come back.”
This makes you feel sorry for Saffron as she thinks of her mother and her past life, which she barely remembers. There is no one at Saffron’s house, so they try going every day. On the last day Sarah and Saffron discuss how they can meet the people who live there, and Saffron suggests climbing over the wall. She decides against it, considering Sarah has a wheelchair.
“She knew all about feeling left out… It had been even worse when her grandfather died and it seemed she had been left out again.”
This shows that although she always feels lonely and you feel sympathy for her, Saffron also feels sympathy for other people as she knows how Sarah feels when she is left out, and Saffron’s situation has not made her a selfish person. When finally the two of them make contact with the woman who lives in Saffron’s house, they discover that Saffron’s grandfather came to buy the angel years earlier. You pity Saffron at this point, because it was difficult for her to make it to Italy, and when she finally gets there it turns out her angel is probably in England after all. Meanwhile in England, Saffron’s siblings/cousins are searching their house for her angel. They travel to their grandfather’s old house and find it, arriving home just in time to present it to Saffron. The stone angel is in many pieces because it hadn’t been taken very good care of.
“Saffron, picking up the broken fragments one by one said it didn’t matter. She hugged Rose and Indigo and Caddy and Sarah, and said again and again that it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter at all.”
This shows how Saffron doesn’t mind that her angel is broken: she is just happy to have it and feel that she has a place in everyone’s lives. You feel sympathy for Saffron even now, as after all the trouble she went to her angel was smashed.

In conclusion, “Saffy’s Angel” by Hilary McKay is a novel in which you feel sympathetic towards the main character Saffron, because of the injustices she has to face discovering her mother’s death, her grandfather’s death, and her loneliness. She overcomes this by using her stone angel as a symbol of her mother and grandfather’s love for her, and coming to terms with her life.

[Rachel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely British children's book about a family of eccentrics. The mom is an absent-minded painter who named her children after paint colors, the hilariously insensitive father is nearly entirely absent, and the four kids are up to assorted hijinks involving keeping hamsters in pockets, stowing away to Italy, and searching for Saffron's inheritance, a missing stone angel.

A plot description doesn't do it justice. McKay is one of those writers (mostly British, in my experience) who writes short, seemingly simple books about ordinary life in which every sentence is perfect, scattered details build to hilarious comic set pieces, and can turn on a dime between laughter and tears because the characters and their emotions seem so genuine. Light but not shallow.

[Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughters loved this book but I couldn't get over the father- who treated his wife with such condescension and belittled her art while escaping to the city so he can play the big artist. Also, I have a thing about stories about overly flaky artists. I don't like it. I find it annoying and propagates this myth that people who do art necessarily have to be flighty instead of hard-working, hard-thinking individuals who know how to pay bills and feed their children.

Having said these very personal and subjective reactions to the book, it was a lovely story about a young girl trying to figure out who she is and where she fits in.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed my evenings with this book. Fun voice. Delightful,charming child characters immersed in the kind of loyal, loving, sibling relationships that any good parent would be proud of, but seemingly caused by that exact deprivation. Completely disfunctional parents, the mother of whom I felt sorry for and the self absorbed,clueless father, whom annoyed me to distraction. A quick read, not something that leaves you with any profound, lingering thoughts but with a smile just the same. I was engaged enough with the children that I would pick up another of the series on a day that I wanted a light, fun read.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awwww this book is so darling like I cannot even!

I remember sitting in history a couple months ago and I just randomly remembered Caddy’s way of revising for her GCSEs, how she sticks all these post its up, a different room for each subject & I suddenly had this urge to reread these books, idk maybe because all this exam stress just makes me want to comfort read but I’m so glad I did!

This book is so feel good & funny & just incredible! Like this family is just the best thing ever that I feel like you can totally enjoy this book at any age OMG PLS JUST GO READ IT!

[Mireille Duval · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be quite honest, the overwhelming twee at the beginning put me out. I could deal with the kids being twee, because they are kids, but the parenting in this book really annoyed me throughout, and even, in Bill's case, super enraged me. (I think as a kid I would have found Eve's behavior cool, or whatever, but as a parent myself, oh boy, I had Thoughts.)

I got into the story for Caddy and Michael, though - all conversations very well-rendered in audio form, "MICHAEL, DARLING!" "Don't call me darling, I am a driver instructor". That little note about how he needs to keep from looking at her as long as he can, because once he does, he can never quite concentrate as much on the instructing. And Droopy Di!! I would take a book that details their 99 driving lessons in detail.

And once I was into the story, I got really into Saffron's quest. I liked her friendship with Sarah - I enjoyed Sarah's parents tremendously more, particularly her fountain-fixing father - and I felt for her, loved but still lonely. The whole Sienna trip was really enjoyable and I enjoyed the ultimate denouement.

After the first half-hour I was just about ready to give up, but now having audioread the whole thing, I'm quite looking forward to more. (I hope I warm up to the remaining characters, though. And I hope Bill disappears from their lives. When he describes the family he imagines during the week, all his children so different from the one he actually has - Rose playing with Barbies and Indigo a football fan, amongst other things - I had kind of a rage blackout, frankly. What an absolutely horrendous turd of a human.)

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book a five... but for a few things. First of all, that Saffy's adoption was a secret. Do you guys know how ridiculous that is? The idea of not telling my little sister she's adopted is sheer dumbness. Secondly, her father was an idiot. End of story. Quite a stupid person. And Sarah irritated me a lot.
Not to say the book was bad at all. The writing I thought was beautiful, the siblings were really funny and sweet, Cadmium made me laugh a lot, and I loved Rose and Indigo. I really liked Saffy herself. Once they got to Siena the book got really great. The ending got me all choked up. But what with the problems I can't really give it an honest five.

[steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

BEST FAMILY EVER. Droopy Di. Michael the driving instructor. Sarah and her wheelchair and her parents in France! The siblings. The color chart that started it all.

“She had to go,” said Rose.
“It was because of her angel,” said Indigo.
“And because of Granddad,” added Caddy.
“And because of her nose stud.”
“And because her name isn’t on the color chart.”
“She’s lonely,” said Rose. “That’s why.”

Reviewed more in depth here at the YA/MG book battle. I plan on reading the rest of the books in this series by the end of the year.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was CHARMING. It reminded me of the older children's books I read as a kid. I laughed my way through the last few chapters and the ending was WONDERFUL.

Rose's notes! Michael's fake girlfriend! I think the fake girlfriend might've been my favorite part. BEAUTIFUL, ACCOMPLISHED, DROOPY DI.

[Laura Tink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. From the cover it originally seems like a girly teen book but I actually found it very moving at times. I also loved that every character has their own story which adds to the whole plot.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohhhh. That was far less sweet, and far more wonderful, than I was expecting. How did it take me so long to finally read this?

[Jemma Routledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend. It was one of those moments when I judged a book by the cover. However my judgement was wrong. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

[El ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to revisit this book from my childhood, as I never was able to complete the series, and I'm so relieved that it held up. It's not awfully realistic in the way events unfolded, but the cast of characters are all so colorful and entertaining.

One thing I was surprised by was how concerned I felt for these kids right from the start, how neglected they are by their parents even though its clear that their mother loves them. It's an aspect of the book that I didn't really notice when I was a child.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to young readers, and hopefully the rest of the series is just as enchanting.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Noel Streatfield, Hilary McKay's lovely stories of the Casson family will delight you.
In the US, Jeanne Birdsall's Penderwick series or Jacqueline Kelly's Calpurnia Tate are excellent exemplars of cosy sibling novels. I suppose they all go back to that grandmammy of them all,
Little Women. Comfort reading!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only wish is that I'd read this as a child!

[Marlon Perrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to read one of Essie’s fave books, 5* wholesome ass shit x

(Note: took me nearly two months because I moved house, jobs, and snuck a cheeky book in-between 👀)

[Esme Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars every time from me. Hilary McKay does not miss, this is one of my all time favourite children’s books, and potentially my 11th or 12th re-read.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay is the first in a series of five books (soon to be six) about the Casson family. It was originally published in the UK in 2001, and became available in the US in 2003.

There are six Cassons. Eve and Bill, the parents, are artists. Bill is much more serious about his work than Eve is about hers, and he maintains a studio away from the family in London. Eve stays home in the Banana House, as the family home is called, with the four children - 17-year-old Cadmium (Caddy), 14-year-old Saffron (Saffy), 12-year-old Indigo, and 8-year-old Rose. Each of the kids has a storyline in this first book - Caddy flirts with her driving instructor, Indigo tries to cure himself of his phobias, and Rose runs interference between her parents - but the star of the show is definitely Saffy.

Early in the book, Saffy realizes that all of the kids in the family have names found on a color chart in the Casson kitchen, except for her. When she presses her mother for an explanation, she learns that she was not named by Eve and Bill, because she is not biologically their child. Rather, Saffy's mother is Eve's deceased sister, and she was adopted into the family after her mother's death. This information really isolates Saffy, and when her grandfather dies and leaves her a mysterious angel in his will, she becomes even more curious about her past.

With the help of a new friend, Sarah, who uses a wheelchair and is therefore somewhat spoiled by her parents, Saffy hatches a plan to travel back to her birthplace, Siena, Italy, to try and locate the angel.

While some plot points in this story were weak and implausible, overall, I really enjoyed it. I especially like the fact that none of the characters in this book are perfect. The parents are absent, either physically or mentally. Caddy is fairly clueless, and a terrible driver. The house is a mess, and Indigo routinely throws himself out of windows to try and stop being afraid of heights. Saffy manages to stow away to Italy without being caught, and the rest of the kids all drive to Wales together, after tricking their mother into giving her permission. Rose also lies to their father and manipulates everyone to suit her own purposes. The Cassons are not the Penderwicks, or the Melendys, or the Moffats. They're not even the Boxcar Children, who spent a lot of time on their own. They're more like the Tillermans from Cynthia Voigt's books, who struggle with family problems, or, for lack of a better comparison, Jane's artsy parents on the MTV animated TV series, Daria.

[Taralen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh man I'm going to get a lot of people disagreeing with me on this but this is by far one of the most daunting books I've ever read.
I was once into it when I was much younger but I was never compelled to finish until I became older.
This story had undeniable potential. The concept was well thought-out but the execution was lackluster.
Let's start with Saffy, the main character.
Oh mon dieu, is she an annoying character. Bratty, whiny, and just completely infuriating. The only pity I held for her was the unfortunate revelation her parents unfolded before her: The fact that she is not really their daughter but the daughter of her mother's sister. Therefore this makes her the niece.
But MY GOD is she just plan selfish! She completely disregards the fact she even lives with a family she is blood-related to. Hell the story could have been even stronger if she was in care of someone not of blood at all but the fact that her mother's sister was willing to take her in as her own (WHICH DOESN'T MAKE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE SINCE THE MOTHER AND SISTER WERE TWINS) is very thoughtful. But Saffy denies this and she denies all the love her parents give her. It's only until the end of the whole damn book does she realize it. Wow.
Her parents are probably the biggest idiots in the book. They don't put their foot down and they honestly have no sense of decency. All the children in the book annoyed me one way or the other.
Caddy lightened up to me at the end but Indigo and Permanent Rose did not. I'm surprised the family even bothered to put up with this spoiled brat known as Saffy. She complains her name is not on the color chart which could have EASILY been remedied by the mother saying to her it is outdated or it's not a complete chart but assures her that Saffron is a color and it's just as beautiful as any other. But she doesn't. The parents lack common sense.
There are better books out there for children but this isn't completely a bad read for children of a young age. It's cute and has meaning. The concept was good, as stated before, but the execution could have been better.
Overall, 2/5. It was OK.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

September 11, 2010

Based on the covers of any of these editions you'd be forgiven for mistaking the title for "Sappy's Angel". They're all rather precious. The title itself was a bit off-putting for me: I was afraid it was going to being something cloyingly religious, with perhaps, a good lesson about character through suffering. Not hardly.

Thankfully, the book it most reminds me of is The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy.* Both are stories about four siblings, with one old enough for crushes, and one quite young. Both have an old-fashioned episodic style, although the characters themselves are quite modern, secular, and eccentric. Both have loving but distracted parents who largely leave the kids up to their own devices because they have their own things to do. Both have intimidating rich women. Both are about the importance of family who are actually loving, if negligent in appearances.

This one has a herd of guinea pigs in lieu of Hound, and lots and lots of art as craft and career, which is interesting and in keeping with the overall bohemian feel. And I'm sure it doesn't tell you anything about me that the mother is a crappy cook.

*Saffy's Angel is several years the elder, but alas, I came to it later.

Library copy.

September 13, 2013

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended to me because I loved I Capture the Castle (the book, not the movie, which I still say is terrible). We shall see!

Aaaaand...no.

I think partly this bothered me because in so many ways it seems too similar to I Capture the Castle the names, the old-fashioned house, the artist parents, the comment about Indigo looking like a devil, the will, the many, many eccentricities..., but with none of the depth or heartbreak or romance or magic or...spark. I didn't care about any of the characters. I didn't really find any of the situations particularly humorous. And their dad is a self absorbed jerk face. It's like McKay read I Capture the Castle and decided to adapt it into something for elementary school kids. I found it off-putting.

But clearly I am in the vast minority here, so go on and read it if you like quirky family books for kids. Most people are not disappointed. I must just be weird (we knew that already, didn't we though?).

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me quite a bit of the Penderwick books, but of course British and not quite so modern. Very similar feel, though, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series (like with the Penderwick books, I suspect the youngest girl will be my favourite).

[Brittany Garduno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a family and their respective lives. Also when Saffy discovered quite by accident that she has been adopted as she is deeply upset though the other assured her that it makes no difference at all. Saffy is the daughter of Eve twin sister who lived in Sienna Italy and died in a car crash. Grand dad Taffy as a very small child back from Sienma. Granddad's death he leave 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 his enchanting story. Unforgettable characters come alive and often deeply humorous and always observing events to be treasured for a long long time The genre of this book is family, Humorous. The part that grabbed my attention was when Saffy's discovers quite by accident that she has been adopted she's deeply upset though the other assure her that it makes no difference at all .

The setting of this book "Saffy's Angel" is England. The conflict is person vs family. Saffy
finds out that her mom died and that she is actually living with her aunt. She starts to feel alone. Saffy meet Sarah and they become best friends. Taffy's Grandpa died he was the only one she felt connected to. Her Grandpa gave her an angel and she lost it and wants to find it but doesn't know where it could be. Sarah her best friend helps her think of where it could be and realizes it could be in Sienna Italy where Saffy was born. Saffy and Sarah goes to Sienna but don't find. At Saffy's home her cousins are looking for the angel too. Then the oldest cousin Caddy realises it could be in the whales were their Grandpa lived. Her three cousins set off to Wales and find the concrete angel but it was all shattered. So she is grateful they found it and realizes that it doesn't matter if it was broken all that mattered was that she had a piece of her Grandpa to hold on to. Caddy glues the angel back together and gives it to saffy. Then days later on Saffy becomes closer to her family.

The title really goes with the story because "saffy's angel" means that the angel that her Grandpa gave her made her get closer with her family. The mayor event was she lost her angel try to find it she found it which made Saffy change and get closer with her family and express herself around her family. Another theme that recurs to the book is to learn to accept people's differences and not judge them based on their disabilities also to respect your elders.

I thought this book was very well written at the end of the chapter I just wanted the story to keep on going. I liked it because it showed how important family is there was a lot of action and adventure in this book. I think it's just a nice book that will inspire you.

I recommend this book to the people that like adventurous book and people that like books that explain importance of family. I rate this book out of 1-5 I give it a 4 because I like how it shows how family is important,And because it was about Adventure.

[Brandy Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally poster here.

Could I live in the Casson house? Absolutely not. Could I enjoy an extended stay? Absolutely not. Would I enjoy an afternoon visit? Maybe. Visiting them through the pages of their story is my ideal. That way I am not literally experiencing the mess or chaos.

Saffy and the search for her angel are certainly the core of the book but the heart of the story is all the Casson children. Saffy is distant and temperamental but obviously loves her quirky siblings very much. Caddie, Indigo, and Rose are devoted to her and to each other. The way they understand each other and assist each other amid such chaos and despite their idiosyncrasies is heartwarming.

The senior Cassons on the other hand...If I read this as a child I might have found them to be just different, and kind of quirky, like the kids. As an adult I just want to find them a therapist. This made me feel even more attached to the kids. I want to bake them cookies and let them play at my house (provided they leave their rodents and paints at home-they probably wouldn't enjoy it here). Which I guess makes me Mrs Warbeck (a character in this book I found delightful and often misunderstood).

I am very much looking forward to reading the further adventures chronicled in the lives of the Casson siblings.