Permanent Rose - Hilary Mckay

It's a long hot summer - to Permanent Rose it seems never ending. Rose misses Tom, Indigo's friend who went back to America. New friend David is not a good enough replacement. Caddy's fiancee, Michael, tries to cheer her up by delivering a rose every day, but that just provides temporary relief. What with Daddy leaving her mother Eve for younger model Samantha, Caddy getting cold feet and adoptive sister Saffron deciding to find her real father, no one seems to have time to come to Rose's rescue. But Rose is determined, and in her heart of hearts is sure she will find Tom again - but what else will she find on the way?

Hilary McKay won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize with her first novel,The Exiles. Her subsequent work has achieved recognition:The Exiles at Homewon the Smarties Prize, whilstSaffy's Angel, the first in the Casson Family series, won the Whitbread Award, for which the third book,Permanent Rose, was also shortlisted.

INDIGO'S STAR:

As funny and compelling as her Whitbread-winning Saffy's Angel ... the unpatronising, open, thought-provoking ending leaves us eager for more. Definetly a book to curl up with and enjoy in one single sitting.
Lesley Agnew, The Bookseller

A welcome new instalment in the lives of the unforgettable Casson family, ... the characters of every Casson child go on developing. This is a rich vein; let's hope Hilary McKay will soon give Permanent Rose a book of her own.
The Independent Magazine, July 2003

SAFFY'S ANGEL:

'Saffy's Angel is a delight from start to finish ... a great feel-good book with characters you want to stay with for ever. Warm, beautifully crafted and always original, it's pure fun - a book to recommend without hesitation.'

Source Whitbread Judges, as reported in Daily Mail
Date 10/03/2003

Whitbread Judges, the Daily Mail

A funny, exuberant story.
Carousel

A real feel-good novel, Mckay treats us once again to one of her brilliantly characterised families. This is a really lovely book.
The Bookseller

It is a delight . . . McKay has a genius for domestic comedy.
Sunday Times

McKay's strength lies in her understanding of young people and her ability to evoke them very simply.
The Guardian

PERMANENT ROSE:

McKay has a genius for domestic comedy. Her books are also imbued with an ethos of tolerance and acceptance. This unconventional family, which was always fun to read about, and seemed laughable because it was chaotic and ill-run, has become, with our increasing knowledge of its members, a kind of model of how to make the most of life.
Culture (Sunday Times Supplement)

From the opening scene of a fat boy eating sweets until the exuberant ending, McKay's third story about the vibrant Casson family is entrancing.
The Guardian

Rose Casson is the kind of girl we should all want to be... A great sequel to Saffy's Angel and Indigo's Star.
Family Interest Magazine

'McKay has many strengths. She is witty without poking fun; and moral without moralising. She is subtle, too ... McKay has a clarity of style and a sophistication of approach that almost make the book as right for a nearly nine-year-old like Rose as for a 15-year-old like Saffy. And it's a joy for an adult to read too.'
Books for Keeps

'McKay's strength lies in her ability to craft an unputdownable story from everyday happenings, and to handle serious issues and emotions with real lightness. She evokes the whole Casson family so vividly that the reader can imagine their lives going on uniterupted even after the book has been closed. Highly recommended.'
Bookfest