PERMANENT ROSE

Readers who have fallen in love with the eccentric, cheerfully chaotic Casson family from the award-winning Saffy’s Angel (2002) and Indigo’s Star (2004) may initially resent the intrusion of David, the enormous ex-tormenter of Indigo, who seems as if he’ll never be accepted into the fold. Still, this disarming family could charm snakes, and David proves indispensable: Saving Rose from a life of crime as she dabbles in shoplifting; helping her bury a cat and un-bury her sister Caddy’s diamond ring (that Rose stole); even helping her reconnect with her long-lost American friend Tom. As ever, the family’s hardships are softened by kindness: Rose waits daily at the mailbox for a letter from Tom, but Caddy’s fiancé, Michael, gives her a rose every single day to ease her pain. Even the shocking revelation about the adopted Saffron’s biological father doesn’t destroy the indomitable Cassons. This fine, funny sequel, with its wonderful dialogue and utterly effortless-seeming weave of plots and characters, stands on its own, but readers will certainly want to get their hands on the first two. (Fiction. 9-12)