Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay

Angels really aren't my thing and I probably wouldn't even have picked up this book if I hadn't forgotten my list for the library. I was returning books, but couldn't remember what I wanted to get next, so, since I was thinking about waiting for the audio book of the latest Harry Potter book, I found myself looking through the children's audio books and saw Indigo's Star. Since I don't like to begin a series, or even a pair, of books without having read the first one, I went looking for Saffy's Angel and checked it out, too.

Saffy's Angel isn't about angels appearing or anything like that. It is about family - mainly about this eccentric artistic family. The parents are both absent artists, the father physically - he works all week in London - and the mother mentally - she is gone most of the time in the back shed, painting. The ever resourceful kids are essentially left alone in the house to get on with things. Caddy, the oldest, due to a quite scatterbrained mind, failed all of her exams last time and is now taking disastrous driving lessons, while preparing to take the exams again. Saffron, the next oldest, has just discovered that she is actually the adopted daughter of her "mother"'s twin sister, who was killed in a car accident when Saffy was 3. Indigo, the only boy, is desperately trying to teach himself to be brave. And Rose the youngest, and also an incipient artist, is the manager of the whole household.

Saffy has found a new friend, Sarah, who is wheelchair bound, but very determined. One of the things she is determined to do is to help Saffy find her angel, a stone statue willed to her by her grandfather.

The plot of the story isn't riveting. It is interesting enough, but by itself it wouldn't go far. More interesting are the people in the story. Each one of them seems to be someone you might like to get to know better. Each one has some fascinating quirk that makes him/her intriguing.

The book has a rather old-fashioned feel to it. It could have been written 50 years ago, except for the occasional references to email or computers.

All in all, an interesting and enjoyable book.

Upper elementary.