Forever Rose

Rose, the youngest of the Casson children, is back in the spotlight. Life at home is hard for her: everyone has their own commitments, so she walks into an empty, silent house each afternoon. Saffy spends her time at Sarah's, Indigo is busy with his paper round and guitar lessons, and Eve is shut away in the garden shed. Bill is working in London, and Caddy has vanished, taking Michael's postcards with her. That leaves David, the only one at home, and Rose would rather be on her own than in his company.

School offers some comfort. Rose has her clever friend Kiran and her kind but dull friend Molly. Even so, the classroom is no longer a calm place to daydream, because their strict teacher, Mr Spencer, talks constantly about SATs and has announced that Christmas is cancelled. He cannot stop the Christmas school trip, though, and that trip gives Rose a chance to help Molly develop her ONE BIG IDEA, whatever it turns out to be.

This is a warm, funny family story for younger readers, following on from Permanent Rose. It is set in an ordinary English school and home, and it asks whether Class 6 and the Casson family can still have a merry Christmas.