I swallowed all the doubt and all the disappointment and all the anger and they were almost too big, like vitamin pills that are difficult to get down even with water.” Sunya is another brilliant character. She is too young in my opinion to wear a hijab, but she wants to, and she doesn’t let other’s opinions of this and her culture stop her bad-assery. She goes by Girl-M, her superhero name, and is very witty and kind, and ever so clever when it comes to taking revenge on the bullies. (Her hijab is an important part of the book later on, so pay attention, so sad and good I want to cry.) This story follows ten-year-old Jamie, after one of his sisters died during a terrorist bombing, and the effects this has had within his family. His mother and father are separated, mother has found another lover, father has become a fervent Islamophobe, and his other sister Jas, lives in the shadow of Rose, the one that died. But Jamie meets a girl, a Muslim girl named Sunya, that is nothing like his father says, and he begins to question whether or not he can follow his father’s views. Aisha Al-Wasi: 14-18 years old to play an adult. The loving mother of Sunya, who befriends Jamie, but who has a blow out with Jamie's father when he reveals how racist his family is. She is protective of her daughter, and won't stand anyone treating her with disrespect because she's different. The morals and messages in this story of forgiveness, friendship and family... as well as pain and heartbreak are so striking.

Ale táto kniha mala postavy, ktoré som si ja osobne neskutočne zamiloval a to je dôvod, prečo má kniha odo mňa takmer plný počet hviezd. Jamie bol skvelým a bystrým rozprávačom, jeho vety vo mne vyvolávali smiech aj smútok naraz, a to všetko som cítil intenzívne, pretože to tak cítil aj on. Jeho sestra bola super a taktiež sa mi páčila tá celková zmes myšlienok ako napríklad predsudky, čo je smrť a čo život, individualita a podobné veci, ktoré sú už v ya lit toľko omieľané, ale v tejto knihe bolo všetko podané originálne. Despre un băiețel de 10 ani care, la un moment dat, rămâne fără una din surorile lui. Tragedie care îl costă multe întrebări și situații de neînțeles. Abandon, dor de mamă și dintr-odată, peste noapte, devine un matur într-un corp de copil.Sometimes when I wake up, I forget that she's gone and then I remember and my heart drops like it does when you miss a step or trip over a kerb.” There were parts when I couldn't stop reading and others that I felt were not so well achieved, but as a whole this book is so good and important. While it does feel like a huge lesson, it neither feels like one adults are trying to teach kids, nor one kids are trying to teach adults. It is a lesson about understanding and empathy and compassion and letting go, which are things that come in handy at any age. It has several powerful quotes that both broke and changed me, and I'm glad I got to go on this short but big journey with these wonderful characters. Mrs. Farmers:14-18 years old to play an adult. An inadequate and comedic 5th Grade teacher, who is oblivious to the goings-on in her classroom.

This book was about a boy called Jamie who had twin older sisters. When he was five his family had a picnic and one of his older sisters, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. Jamie hasn't cried in the five years his sister has been dead. On his sister's birthday his mum walks out on them. I hope Annabel Pitcher is going to write another book, and if she does she will be a very successful author. If I were to rate this book I would give it 10 out of 10. It can often be difficult to discuss death and bereavement with teenagers, or even for teenagers to do so with parents/carers.The narrator of the story is a ten year old boy and if you think the complexity is compromised by the young age of the narrator and protagonist, please think again. The best thing about using such young mediums to tell a grown up story is that there are so many chances of saying the profoundest of things in the simplest of ways. You know the saying…”from the mouths of babes…?” Yeah. Jamie’s portrayal of his life, of his longing for his mother, of his inability to steer through the shark infested waters that is elementary school rife with bullies and biased teachers is so on the point that you cannot help but be drawn immediately into the story. His voice is fresh, wondering and perhaps, a little intentionally, cheeky. His observations are pertinent and at times may, again unintentionally, make you snort out with laughter. His relationships with his parents and his remaining sister are also shown in a beautiful manner. Just before Jamie's 10th birthday, Jamie, Jas, their dad and Roger move to the Lake District and this is where the story starts. Jamie has to cope with starting at a new school and making new friends as best as he can without the help of either of his parents. His dad's too sad and his mum's not there. Throughout the book, all he wants is to have a happy family again. My favourite part of the book was when dad gave Jamie the second hug he could remember and a cup of hot chocolate. Jamie loved the hot chocolate, even though there were lumps in it due to the powder not being stirred in properly, because his dad had made it.

The last quarter of the book was written so well and was HEARTBREAKING. Something happened that ripped my heart out and made Jamie(the narrator) realize why his father is finding it so hard to deal with the death of his sister, Rose. Jamie also struggles to reconcile his father's view of evil, murderous Muslims with the bright, sunny girl who keeps extending her hand to him. Sunya, seeing Jamie's fascination with superheroes and Spiderman, claims that she's a superhero too. She proudly points to her hijab as part of her superhero costume. I loved Sunya. She's bold and fierce, loyal and kind. She doesn't shy away from her identity, even as the kids call her Curry Breath and other names.The parents also idolize Rose, to them she never did anything wrong, as if all she did no longer mattered, because she had died so tragically. It made me feel like the parents were not really in pain, but rather pretending that they were, because they did not have much to be proud of her, so they chose to ignore it, rather than see it as what it was, part of her personality. And this is not to say they did not love her, nor that they were not hurting, but that they felt somehow guilty, I din’t really remember where I am going with this, so make of it what you will. So even though his sister had been killed, his parents were getting divorced and he was feeling terribly sad and lonely, he still had to carry on and try to stay positive, no matter what. It's a great reminder that we often don't always know what's happening in our friends' lives and sometimes they might be feeling sad at school because of what's going on at home.

If you don't live in the UK (I live in France), I think it's a brilliant book for finding out what it's like to go to school in the UK. It's also really interesting to see how English children speak to each other - and to adults! In fact she was quite bad and according to Jas she was naughty at school, but no one seems to remember that now she is all dead and perfect.”

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

My sister lives on the mantelpiece. Well, some of her does. Everyone kept saying it would get better with time, but that's just one of those lies that grown-ups tell. Five years on, it's worse than ever: Dad drinks, Mums gone and Jamie's left with questions that he must answer for himself We meet Jamie in the midst of his family falling apart after the traumatic death of his older sister Rose - her urn on the mantelpiece the only constant in an otherwise unsettling life.