ALA Booklist (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2005)

Eleven-year-old Indigo doesn't know what to think when her mother moves her and her baby sister, Misti, out of their cozy home and into an old, dirty flat. She knows it has something to do with the sometimes-violent fights between Mom and her boyfriend, Max, but what is she supposed to say at school? What with leaving Max and trying to pull herself together, Indigo's mother seems about to break, and Indigo knows she has to help, even though she has problems of her own: the starring role in the school play, a boy with a crush, and a friend turned jealous and mean seemingly overnight. This British story of domestic abuse is firmly child-centered, and Indigo's confusion and fear, as well as her divided loyalty between Max and her mother, are sensitively portrayed. Cassidy makes Indigo's school troubles as important as her personal ones, and Indigo's simple, direct voice keeps the story from becoming message-driven and sentimental. The hopeful ending rings true.

Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

After a nasty fight with her boyfriend, Indigo's mother moves her two daughters to a damp flat on the wrong side of town. Indigo wins the lead in the school play, but she must also cope with her surroundings and her mother's depression, as well as with friend trouble. Likable, realistically flawed characters prevent this from being a shopworn problem novel.

Kirkus Reviews

Indigo, age 11, hides under the covers and turns the music up, but she can still hear the sounds of her sister Misti crying, her father Max shouting and her mother pleading. Despite Max's apologies, Indigo's mother is determined to leave. While Indigo is at school, she moves them from the cozy house that they called home for three years to a dank and dirty basement apartment across town. Shifting friendships, a lead in the class play and the attention of a cute boy are not enough to distract Indigo from the problems at home. Indigo's mother attempts to make a home for them, but the threat that Max may find them and the pressures of single motherhood are too much for her. As she slides into depression, eventually agreeing to see Max again, Indigo is forced to take care of all of them. Real characters, intelligent dialogue and an energetic plot come together in this engaging story. (Fiction. 10-14)

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Indigo, 11, is a super-responsible kid with a weak, unstable mother. She tries to take care of her toddler sister and to ignore the fights between Mum and her abusive, live-in boyfriend. She attempts to fit in with her more conventional classmates, cope with a strict teacher, and enjoy time with her friend Jo. Life is bearable until Max's bad temper turns physical and Mum flees with the children to a dilapidated basement flat with a dour and suspicious landlady. Things get even more complicated when Jo turns temperamental and tryouts for the school play add a competitive aspect to many of the kids' relationships. For a story filled with problems, this is a surprisingly bright book, with a sympathetic main character and an absorbing plot. The first-person, present-tense narration grounds events with a straightforward immediacy, as does the emphasis on physical details, from nail polish to foods to the smell of mold in the apartment. Yes, Indigo learns to face her feelings rather than hide from them. She also learns the meaning of true friendship. Cassidy seems more committed to telling Indigo's story than hitting readers over the head with a message. A British import with a refreshingly light touch.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.