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My Sister Lives On The Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

Jamie had a sister, until one day she was killed in a terrorist attack in London. Ten-year-old Jamie hasn't cried since it happened. He knows he should have - Jasmine cried, Mum cried, Dad still cries. Roger didn't, but then he is just a cat and didn't know Rose that well, really.

Everyone kept saying it would get better with time, but that's just one of those lies that grown-ups tell in awkward situations. Five years on, it's worse than ever: Dad drinks, Mum's gone and Jamie's left with questions that he must answer for himself. Jamie is also making a new life for himself since he moved with his Dad to the lake district. He can't remember the terrorist attack and looks to the hope of people in his life, especially his sister and Rose's twin, Jas and a new friend, Sunya, although what would his Dad say if he found out Jamie was friends with a Muslim?

This is the heart warming and moving story of one boy struggling to come to terms with a tragedy that has torn his family apart. It is hard to believe that it is Annabel Pitcher's first book. The characters and story are realistic and believable. It tackles the difficult subject of terrorism in a sensitive way. The ten year old narrator doesn't see things in black and white, so questions why others do. You might think from the title and subject matter that this book will be sad and depressing, but you would be wrong. It is actually a warm, uplifting story.

It is a very good book for high schools to study as it can facilitate dialogue on differences between cultures, the affects of terrorism, and the affects of the break-down of families. It is also about emotions that we rarely share together. It is one of those books that is hard to forget.

RRP $24.99
Published and distributed by Hachette NZ
 

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