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Editorial Review Book Description
Saffron's two sisters, Cadmium and Rose, and her brother Indigo were all named from a color chart by their mother Eve, a fine-arts painter.When Saffron, known as Saffy, discovers that her name is not on the chart, it soon leads to another discovery.She has been adopted.
Life in the Banana House, as their home is called, is never dull.Caddy, the eldest, is taking driving lessons from an instructor who happens to be a very attractive young man.Indigo dreams up ways, sometimes quite dangerous, to conquer fear.Rose, the youngest, has learned how to get her own way without upsetting the other.As for Saffy, all she remembers from when she was very small is a stone angel in a garden in Italy.With the help of a newfound friend, Saffy sets out on an adventurous and sometimes hilarious search for her angel. ... Read more Customer Reviews (37) 
Saffy's Angel is a Masterpiece
Kids hanging out of windowsills, guinea pigs in the garden, and babies swallowing paint are only a few, but routine, of the bizarre happenings in the Casson household.But in the midst of all this, one girl tries to find her place.
The four Casson children are all named after colors on the color chart, thanks to their artist mother, Eve.The oldest is Cadmium (Caddy), then Saffron (Saffy), Indigo, and Rose.One day, Saffy was looking at a color chart and discovered she was not on there, and soon learned she had been adopted.The other children told Saffy, who was severely upset, that her adoption made no matter and she was still part of the family.Saffy was the daughter of Eve's twin sister, who died in a car crash in Italy.Saffy's grandfather brought Saffy to Eve's family in England.After grandpa died, he left something to each of the children.To Saffy, all he left was "her angel."Saffy leaves to go to Italy with her new energetic friend to search for the angel, but comes home fruitless.But then, almost entirely by accident, Indigo figures out the puzzle of Saffy's Angel, and retrieves the angel sculpture for Saffy.
Saffy's Angel was an excellent read with memorable characters, humor, and fresh storytelling.
A few of the unforgettable characters were Saffy, Sarah, and Caddy.Saffy was funny and simply enjoyable.She always said what was on her mind and was stubborn.In Siena, Italy, where Saffy and Sarah went along with Sarah's parents to search for the angel, Saffy checked her mother's old house and garden multiple times before accepting defeat.Sarah was bound to a wheelchair, but she never let that stop her.Perhaps she was even more stubborn than her friend Saffy, but Sarah was certainly more resourceful.Sarah was always thinking of clever ideas to get what she wanted and to overcome numerous obstacles - it was Sarah who figured out to get into the garden at Saffy's old residence in Siena.Caddy was a genius in disguise.She had street smarts and even some book smarts, but was failing out of her college classes and driving tests.She helped her siblings out of tricky situations, such as Rose's stolen painting, and was a compassionate person.
There were many funny things going on in Saffy's Angel.One was Indigo.Indigo desperately wanted to explore Antarctica, but realized that he needed to overcome his fear of heights.Therefore, to compromise that, he would sit on second-story windowsills and just sit.One time, Caddy forgot to help in back inside, so he ended up sitting on the windowsill for hours into the evening. Another funny happening in the story was when baby Rose swallowed a tube of paint and had a yellowish tint to her skin for a few weeks after.Yet another humorous event in this story was Saffy's journey to Siena.Sarah and her parents had been planning on going, but Saffy was not invited along.Sarah and Saffy planned a way to bring Saffy along, so Saffy hid inside a beanbag chair sitting inside the car on the ride.When they were halfway there, Saffy popped out and scared Sarah's parents, who were then forced to bring her along.
There were quite a few examples of originality and fresh storytelling in Saffy's Angel.One was the Casson's house.It was called the banana house, but did not resemble a banana for even have a banana's coloring.It also had a spacious garden, in which guinea pigs grew more than any plant.Another original element were the names of the children.The children, as mentioned before, were named after the color chart, which was very unusual, yet delightful.Another original element was Caddy's driving lessons and tests.She would purposefully fail the tests so she could continue the lessons, as she had a crush on the instructor.
Saffy's Angel was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good book.It had memorable characters, comedy, and pure originality, making for a great book.
-Elizabeth H =]
Saffy's Review
I would reccomend "Saffy's Angel" to a reader that likes a cliffhanger and a reader who likes a page turner type of book that is hard to put down. Saffy's is a quiet, shy girl. Saffy likes to accomplish goals on her own. Saffy is a mature girl. I loved reading this book. I never wanted to put "Saffy's Angel" down. It was a book that leaves you hanging, so I wanted to keep on reading. I thought that "Saffy's Angel" was such a page turner.
Saffys Angel
The book Saffy's Angel is about young girl named Saffron. She lives with a crazy, fun, and loving. There's Indigo who is loving and caring he's also very adventures like the time he jumped of a windshield. Then there is Cadinium know as Caddy. She's clever she really wants
to get in college. She likes to help her brothers and sister. And then theirs Permanent Rose but everybody calls her Rose .She is very creative and opinionated. When Saffy finds out she's adopted she feels left out. She's not with strangers. Her family is her cousins and aunt. They get a will from their grandfather and then Saffy goes on an adventure with her wheel chair bound friend Sarah to find her stone angel the adventure takes her all the way to Italy. Will she ever find her angel or will she be forever looking for it? The genre of the book is realistic fiction.
The book is set in England but a small part of the book is set in Siena Italy. What the author did well was that she had really great descriptions and interesting characters so it was easy for me to visualize the story for any one who loves a warm loving story.
Surprisingly good
A friend brought the audio version along on a trip to DC. I didn't expect to enjoy it, since it's been some time since I've purposely read a children's book, and yet really did. The Casson Family is as interesting and charming, as they are chaotic. Somehow, they feel more like a family than one would expect, and readily accept friends (true friends that is) into their close-knit group.
I'd have like to see more of Saffy with her family instead of this newfound friend, Sarah, because I felt as if the story was really about family, but it all worked. I suppose Saffy needed something that belonged to *her* as opposed to the family, and with Sarah, she found that. In the end, Sarah became a part of the family, accepted for who she is and her place in Saffy's life, and the rest of the Casson children accepted her as another sister. While she's Saffy's friend first and foremost, she's also very protective of the rest of the Casson's.
Sometimes I wish I am part of Casson family...
Bill Casson once said "If there is one thing your mother was good at, it was chousing names for you children". And really, names for kids of Bill and Eve Casson, for which inspiration was color chard on kicken wall, were perfect for their owners:
Cadmium, known as Caddy, was gold just as color that shows her name.
Saffron is one tint of yellow, and yellow usually shows stubbornes and proudness, words that discribe Saffy.
Indigo, pale, thin, black-ahired boy, who's usually dressed in black, really fits as dark, Indigo color.
And youngest Rose is real, amrt and out-goings, jsut as color of red Rose.
But, stranges for all 4 kids is Saffy, closed and shy. She's like that all since she was 8, since she learned to read, and since she could, from chair, read that there's no her name on color chard.
All since she found out that she's adopted.
Since then, Saffy si hunted by dreams about garden and stone angel with words "Saffy's Angel" on it. When Saffy mets little spoilt, stubborn girl from neiburhood, Sarah, who's born whith adventure spirit, this two best friends decice to go to Siena, town in Italy, where Eve's twin sister, Saffy's mother, lived with Saffy before she died in car accident, to find "Saffy's Angel".
But how will they get to Siena? Will they even go there? And what will happen with other Casson kids? All that you can find out in this exciting, family novel by Hialary McKay which will amke you cry... from laugh!
~*~
I'm sometimes vary critic about books, there are many that I like but only few of them are my fave. Saffy's Angel is one of few. It's sassy, funny, family, warm, deffrent, lovely, emotinal, beautiful... There are 100 more words that describe this novel! I never felth borning while I read it! There isn't some action, but you are just enchanted by sassy Casson family. Sometimes I wish I was Casson too, and I'm shore you will too when you read this nivel!
I can't say which caracter I like best! Is is dreamy Caddy who's in love with Michael, driver instructoir, who loves hamsters and who, in half of driving lesson says "Is my lip-stick too pink?"? Is it closed Saffy who don't care about world, who can't fit in her family (or doesn't want to fit in her family), who lost her mother and who despertly want to find her angel? Is it Indigo, who wants to cure his fear from high, who is sick from Caddy's drive, who is always shy? Is it smart, little Rose, always prud, little painter, who's not scared of anything? Is it someone from parents, ,lovely, dreamy Eve or busy, real Bill? Or is it adventure Sarah, Saffy's best friend? I loved each member of Casson family, their big family which is not constant only from blood-relativs, then from all people who Casson family loves!
Hialry McKay created fatastic novel for readers of all ages! I loved it when I was 11, I love it now when I'm nearly 14! My little brother love it, and he's 8, and I'm shore many adults love it as well! You can really laugh at all little adventures of people from "Bannana-House" and you'll wish to read more and more about them!
Maybe, you'll fell like member of Casson family also, just as I did sometimes!
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