My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece By, Annabel Pitcher

       If you are interested in some light reading this book is not for you.  That being said, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is a wonderful and heart-breaking book about a family that is trying to recover from the loss of a family member.  The narrator Jamie is 10, and he was only 5 years old when Rose was killed in a terrorist attack in London. He is now living with his father, who drinks too much, and his sister Jas (Rose's twin) after his mother walked out on their family following Rose's death. Although Jamie and Jas's father had Rose cremated so he could sprinkle her ashes in the sea, he keeps the remainder of Rose's ashes on their mantelpiece because he can not bear to let them go.  Jamie and Jas want nothing more than for their mother to return home to them, and for their father to stop drinking and become a part of their lives again.

         Jamie is also dealing with a lot at school.  He is being bullied by a boy named Daniel.  Furthermore, his only friend at school, Sunya, is Muslim and he worries about disappointing his father who wrongfully blames Rose's death on every Muslim person he comes into contact with.  

        Jamie becomes convinced that all his problems will be solved if he can get his family back together and he and Jas decide that the best way to do that is to be on a televised talent show and invite their parents to come.  The book does not end exactly the way I thought it would, but it is a satisfying ending nonetheless.  If you are interested, come check it out.  You will find this book on the New Books shelves behind the front desk.