Indigo's Star [Paperback]

Hilary McKay (Author)

Book Description

IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL FOR THE START OF A NEW TERM, AND THE ECCENTRIC CASSONS ARE UP TO THEIR OLD TRICKS!

Indigo, having just recovered from a bout of mononucleosis, must return to school after missing an entire semester. Only his younger sister and loyal sidekick, Rose, knows why he's dreading it so much. As it turns out, the school bullies are eagerly awaiting Indigo's return so that they can pick up where they left off -- flushing his head in the toilet. But Indigo hasn't counted on meeting Tom, an American student who is staying with his grandmother in England for the year. With his couldn't-care-less attitude and rock-and-roll lifestyle, Tom becomes Indigo's ally, and together they work to take back the school. Meanwhile, eight-year-old Rose is desperately trying to avoid wearing horrible glasses, nineteen-year-old Caddy is agonizing over her many suitors, Saffy is working overtime with her best friend, Sarah, to protect Indigo from the gang, and with their father, Bill, in London at his art studio, their mother, Eve, is just trying to stay on top of it all!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–The endearing and eccentric Casson family, introduced in Saffy's Angel (McElderry, 2002), is back. Recovered from mononucleosis, 12-year-old Indigo dreads his return to school where his sensitive, peace-loving nature makes him a target for bullies. Enter Tom, a classmate from America who is living with his English grandmother to avoid dealing with his divorced parents. His arrogance stymies the gang and deflects some of the mistreatment away from Indigo, who sees through Tom's mask and reaches out in friendship. Meanwhile, eight-year-old Rose cannot adjust to her new glasses or accept her father's apparently permanent move to London. She expresses her distress in her poignant, yet funny, letters to him and by painting family members and friends in and out of a mural on the kitchen wall. Rose, too, forms a bond with Tom, particularly appreciating his guitar playing and his desire to acquire a special instrument. In an incident in which he mistakenly believes the bullies are hurting Rose, Indigo finally fights back, giving the gang leader his comeuppance and setting the "rabble" on the road to good behavior. As the book ends, Rose and Tom each begin to come to terms with the changes in their families, and Tom starts his journey home, with the coveted new guitar. While the story may be somewhat short on plot and a bit facile in its treatment of the issue of bullying, McKay's sly humor, deft characterization, and brisk pacing more than compensate. Readers will love revisiting the chaotic but loving Casson household.–Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 5-8. McKay continues the story of the exuberant, artistic Casson family whom readers first met in Saffy's Angel, a Booklist 2002 Editor's Choice selection. This time the focus is on Saffy's younger siblings: Indigo, who is bullied by a gang of his schoolmates, and eight-year-old Rose, already an accomplished artist and a keen observer of each family member's private struggles. As in Saffy, McKay introduces a likable outsider into the mix: Tom, a young, lonely American who confronts the bullies with Indigo, forms a fierce friendship with Rose, and, after being wholly absorbed into the "complete Casson comfort machine," finally accepts his parents' divorce. McKay's portrayal of absent-minded mother Eve occasionally veers into a caricature of daffiness, and some references, particularly those that foreshadow the Casson parents' marital strains, may fly over the heads of young readers. But the author unerringly dissects the politics of bullying and a family's complicated layers of love and anger in an often laugh-out-loud narrative that's as chaotic and lovable as the Casson household itself. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (January 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141691403X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416914037
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Bullies

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indigo's Star is a star, March 21, 2006

By 

Kathleen Hudson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Indigo's Star (Paperback)

This is a great family story, with all the bumps and scrapes left in. Nobody loves their siblings all the time! These kids each have their own lives and interests, but care about each other, too.
Indigo's experiences with school and friends and sisters are totally believable, even when you can't believe they're happening. From bullies to stars, to music and friends, it all rings true. Read Saffy's Angel and Permenant Rose, too. They are all great books, but Indigo's Star may be the best.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, September 27, 2004

By 

Princess Firefly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indigo's Star (Hardcover)

I picked up a copy of Indigo's Star in a bookstore and sat down to look it over. A couple of hours later I was well into the story and I knew I couldn't leave without my own copy. This book is, in a word, perfect. The characters are one of a kind, the story is funny and warm-hearted, and all in all it has that special flavor that can only be found in the pages of a book by Hilary McKay. Read this book! You won't be disappointed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Work of Art, February 17, 2006

By 

Green Marker Girl "Bernadette" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indigo's Star (Hardcover)

Living as a 21st Century 12 year old boy can be tough. Especially when you're bullied relentlessly. Just like Indigo Casson. Indigo is different, herefore a perfect target for abuse. His head is flushed in toilets by a group of controlling, mean-spirited boys, just because he is different.
But then he meets Tom, an American boy visiting England, and everything changes.
Tom is a shock to everyone. With his non-chalant demeanor and blank expression, he is a difficuly one to figure out. Yet he is victimised as well. But the bullies soon learn that Tom Levin is not one to be reckoned with. He begins a quick friendship with Indigo's younger sister, Rose.
This book is a touching masterpiece. And completely worth the time.