For me and anyone else who has read the Casson Family books, this was the last in the series but really it is the first one. This book goes back in time to when Caddy, the eldest of the Casson children was twelve and Rose, the youngest, had only just been born.
Caddy's world mainly consists of her artistic, eccentric but extremely real family and her charmed circle of four friends: Alison, Ruby, Beth and Caddy. Caddy tells her little sister Saffron wonderful stories of her world outside of family life and they all begin with the magical words "AlisonRubyanBethanme."

Caddy's friends call her the Bravest of the Brave. But Caddy's world is turned upside down by the arrival of a new member of the family who cannot seem to decide whether to stay or go. Now with her mother staying at the hospital, her father back from his London studio, desperately trying to organise things at home, and her best friends encountering many of their own problems, Caddy must live up to her title.
I found this book enchantingly gripping and thought that it set the scene brilliantly for the rest of the series. There are hints and links to other books which those who have read them will appreciate, however it had not occurred to me until reading another review of it, by someone reading the Casson Family for the first time, that people might not like this book.

I read it expecting the Casson Family style and expecting to love it as much as I loved the rest of the series... and I did. But I can see how this book could be a disappointment for someone not expecting the unique flavour of the Casson Family books. The blurb says that it is about best friends, boyfriends, problem parents and purple hair, and it is about these things, but not in the way that you might expect so if you want a girly teen romance you won't get what you are looking for.

There are definitely some serious issues in this book but the way they are dealt with might be surprising to someone who hasn't read the others. I don't think there is anything wrong with being surprised by a book; in fact I think it makes them more exciting and I think that the main reason that anyone wouldn't enjoy this book is that they were in the wrong mind-set to read it but not having read the other books first would probably make it harder as well.

Although it doesn't seem to make sense chronologically, I think you might enjoy this book more if you read the rest of the series (in order) first. For me, reading Caddy's world was a brilliant way to round off the series because at the same time as fitting perfectly with the other books, it is also distinctly different from the others as it goes back to a time when the world that the other books are set in was just starting to form.

This is a fantastic book in its own right - not predictable or scary, but an enjoyable read with an exciting plot. If you have already read the other Casson Family books then you should definitely read this one to complete the series, if not then I would advise reading the others first in the order they were written, before concluding with this highly original, last installment of the wonderful Casson Family series.

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