From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7–Indigo, 11, is a super-responsible kid with a weak, unstable mother. She tries to take care of her toddler sister and to ignore the fights between Mum and her abusive, live-in boyfriend. She attempts to fit in with her more conventional classmates, cope with a strict teacher, and enjoy time with her friend Jo. Life is bearable until Max's bad temper turns physical and Mum flees with the children to a dilapidated basement flat with a dour and suspicious landlady. Things get even more complicated when Jo turns temperamental and tryouts for the school play add a competitive aspect to many of the kids' relationships. For a story filled with problems, this is a surprisingly bright book, with a sympathetic main character and an absorbing plot. The first-person, present-tense narration grounds events with a straightforward immediacy, as does the emphasis on physical details, from nail polish to foods to the smell of mold in the apartment. Yes, Indigo learns to face her feelings rather than hide from them. She also learns the meaning of true friendship. Cassidy seems more committed to telling Indigo's story than hitting readers over the head with a message. A British import with a refreshingly light touch.–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Eleven-year-old Indigo doesn't know what to think when her mother moves her and her baby sister, Misti, out of their cozy home and into an old, dirty flat. She knows it has something to do with the sometimes-violent fights between Mom and her boyfriend, Max, but what is she supposed to say at school? What with leaving Max and trying to pull herself together, Indigo's mother seems about to break, and Indigo knows she has to help, even though she has problems of her own: the starring role in the school play, a boy with a crush, and a friend turned jealous and mean seemingly overnight. This British story of domestic abuse is firmly child-centered, and Indigo's confusion and fear, as well as her divided loyalty between Max and her mother, are sensitively portrayed. Cassidy makes Indigo's school troubles as important as her personal ones, and Indigo's simple, direct voice keeps the story from becoming message-driven and sentimental. The hopeful ending rings true. Krista Hutley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
