Hilary McKay, English writer and crumpet eater

Do you like English humour?  I do, and I also like English food, like Shepherd's Pie!  Yum, the soft potato topping. Mmmmm, the delicious shepherds inside.  Oh, mom says it's just beef.
Anyway, I have recently discovered Hilary McKay, but I guess mom and her non-furry friend Susan discovered her a long time ago, when they first read "The Exiles".  They laughed and laughed, and have been reading her books ever since.  That's what she told me, and I believe her because she's a librarian and they never lie.
So, there are a few picture books, one about a pirate adventure in the backyard and another about a dragon downstairs.  I was scared about the dragon one because it takes place at night, but guess what!  The dragon is really just a three letter word beginning with "c" and ending with "t".  I don't want to spoil it for the children.
Then there's the first book of the Exiles series, about four sisters who get sent off to spend the summer with their eccentric grandmother.  Their stay is like a visit to the dog park when the wind is blowing and the dogs are feisty and snappish, and keep running into each other.  Then they are all tired out and find special friends and rest happily against their humans' legs.  Except it's a lot funnier.
"Saffy's Angel" is the first book in the Casson family series, and that Casson family is something else!  I would like to live with them because they're the kind of family who would always be dropping food on the floor.  The oldest daughter loves rodents, although not in the same way I love rodents. Everyone is named after paint colors, which I don't really get, but with a name like "Princess" I can't really complain.
"Dog Friday" is the first in another series about two families that live next to each other, and there's a dog in it, in case you couldn't tell from the title.  Also, there's one of the funniest scenes in a children's book ever, and it involves a turkey. 
Her new series is for younger children, and the first book ("Lulu and the Dog from the Sea') also has a dog in it!  It's about a girl, and a dog who needs a family, just like I needed a family!  You can tell from the cover that it ends happily, but I haven't gotten that far because my dad told me it was time for bed and took the book away.  I'll finish it tomorrow.

Time for lights out!