Caddy's World by Hilary McKay

If you remember Helen Cresswell's Bagthorpe series, now sadly out of print, you will love Hilary McKay's stories about the Casson family in England with its wonderfully quirky characters.  In this newest story which is a prequel to the other five books in the series, twelve-year-old Caddy's world turns upside down when her father comes home from his London flat to be a "stay at home dad" for the summer.  His wife, Eve, has been taken to the hospital to deliver a new baby who is having serious heart problems.  Because Rose is born prematurely, she must stay in the hospital and things are crazy without Mum at home.  Bill is determined to simplify and organize the household since tidy was never one of his family's attributes.  Best friends from kindergarten, Caddy wants everything with friends Ruby, Ali, and Beth, to remain the same.  But as the girls are moving into adolescence, each seems to be growing in different directions.  Ruby is clever.  Alison hates everyone.  Beth is perfect.  And Caddy is the bravest one of the circle of friends.  In addition to all the chaos, Caddy must deal with her boyfriend wanting to date all four girls at once!  Typical of McKay's writing, her stories are tender and hilarious, poignant and realistic. The depiction of the British family is a delight to read and new and old readers will thoroughly enjoy them.