by Hilary McKay
ages: 10+
First sentence: “I do not like it when people shout.”

When I read this for the Cybils last November, my review wasn’t really a review, more like a bemused reaction to never having heard of the Casson family before. Since I didn’t write a “proper” review, and since I read the last one first, I figured I ought to go back and revisit Rose after having read the other four in the series.

I’m so glad I did; while it’s still funny, and sweet, and entertaining, and enjoyable, and I’m still in love with the Casson family, it’s a much more poignant book now that I know the “history”.

Without giving too much away, a year and a half after Caddy Ever After ended, it’s Christmas time and Rose is at home, alone. Eve is sequestered in the shed with illness (she, very sensibly, doesn’t want to spread germs); Bill is still in London, though he’s become increasingly dissatisfied with the arrangment (finally!); Caddy has disappeared after taking off in hopes of finding Michael; Saffy and Sarah are busy with school and are rarely home; same with Indigo. The only person left in the whole empty house is Rose, which she doesn’t like. Especially since it’s darker earlier. She doesn’t like that every one is still bossing her around: she is in Grade 6, after all, and while no one wants to worry about her, no one remembers that she doesn’t like worring about them. There’s also a subplot about Rose figuring out the magic of stories, which is very sweet (yay for fairy stories!). Typical to the Casson family books, it doesn’t stay that way: it begins when Indigo’s friend David starts coming around after fighting with his mother, and eventually, the house becomes full again.

There’s so much to love about this series, and I found this one to be a very satisfying end to the series (on the one hand, I do want it to go on, and watch them all grow up — but Rose has a blog to help with that — but this one did end remarkably well). Rose has always stolen the books from under her siblings, and to have a whole book focus on her works really well (especially since this one is much less soap-opera-y than the last book that focused on only Rose). As I said before, it’s quite poignant; there’s little references here and there to events in all the books: from Saffy’s angel and the picture Rose drew on her first day of school, through to the catastrophe of Caddy’s wedding (and everything inbetween).

I’m so glad I was introduced to the Casson family. I’m sure they’re books that I will revisit periodically when I need a smile or a pick-me-up. Because they’re just so loveable. Especially Rose.

Buy it at Amazon, Powell’s or your local independent bookstore.