Indigo Blue by Cathy Cassidy is a book about Indigo, a preteen girl who is hiding a secret. Indigo lives with her mother, baby sister and stepfather in a lovely house, but all is not as nice as the surface. Her stepfather is beating her mother. When the beatings finally get too be too much, her mother flees across town and hides with the girls in a dingy basement apartment. When Indigo confides in her best friend, Jo, she doesn’t find the support she needs. In fact, Jo is becoming more and more jealous of Indigo at school where Indigo gets a starring role in the class musical and has a boy who is interested in her. Indigo’s entire world is falling apart, and as her mother falls deeper into depression, Indigo worries who will look after them and whether her stepfather will reappear in their lives.
This easy-to-read book is a perfect book for girls who will read Lurlene McDaniel in a few years. The violence of the story all takes place out of sight, so that readers onlly see the aftermath. Indigo is a real girl with real issues and real reactions. The adults in her life are also well-rendered characters where the stepfather has a nice side, her mother is often capable, and her stern teacher surprises her. Add this one to your collection if you need more books for preteen girls that read like teen novels without the sexuality and violence.