April 10, 2012  Caddy's World  by Hilary McKay ages: 10+ First
sentence: "There were the four girls who were best friends:"
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there! Review
copy snagged from the galley shelves at my place of employment
Others in the series: Saffy's Angel, Indigo's Star, Permanent
Rose, Caddy Ever After, Forever Rose  I adore the Cassons.
(Seriously. Don't want to live with them, though. But in a
neighborhood with them on one side and the Penderwicks on the
other? Sounds fabulous.)  It's five years before Saffy's Angel,
and Caddy (whose real name is Cadmium Gold) is 12 years old and
perfectly content with life. At home it's her and mum and Saffy
and Indigo (dad Bill is often in London, but he does come home
sometimes). And at school it's her, Alison (who hates everyone),
Beth (who's perfect), and Ruby (who's clever) creating a perfect
foursome:  AlisonRubyanBethanme. It was a charmed life.  Then
the genie who controls everything (not really, but sometimes
when you're 12 it feels