The family ambles on.... Jamie's father seeks solace in the bottom of a vodka bottle; Jas dyes her hair pink and pierces her nose and Jamie.... well, he starts his new school feeling alone and bewildered and even feeling guilty because he can't even REMEMBER Rose. He wears the same Spider man t-shirt day after day , telling himself that he won't change it or even wash it until his mother comes home. But as sometimes happens, Jamie's life takes an unexpected turn... he makes a friend... a girl named Sunya. What Jamie first notices about Sunya is that she wears a hijab; so he realizes she is Muslim. He also knows that his father would never understand or approve of his friendship with Sunya. After all, his father tells him repeatedly that Muslims killed his sister. But all Jamie knows is that in addition to their shared love of super heroes, this girl has the most amazing, expressive dark eyes.... they sparkle. And Jamie discovers that he can make her laugh and that making her laugh makes him happy... and it makes her eyes flash and smile. He knows that she looks at him with understanding and for the first time, in a very long time, he doesn't feel so alone. 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. But don't think this is a downer, though it did have me crying at one part. The voice of Jamie is so real, and so natural and so funny it kept be going, as was his friend Sunya, who knows that she is also the odd one out, as well, because she is Muslim and wears a hijab, in very white, Christian school. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is one of the best books I've ever read and I really, really hope it is translated into French so that all my French friends can read it, as well!

I’m writing this review with tears still in my eyes! My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece broke my heart and made me feel all warm inside at the same time. I feel it is rare to find a book which makes you laugh and cry in equal measure, which is exactly what this novel achieved.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. 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. 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.) The way the book is written, Jamie seems like a real person. I think this is because the author explains the many controversial subjects through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy who obviously doesn't think about them in the same way as an adult would.

The sibling relationship was one of the strongest points of the book. After their child-abandoning-mother and their alcoholic-Islamophobic-father basically abandon their children, Jas, the sister, takes care of Jamie and becomes the parent figure. Their mum could not stand Jas no longer looking like an exact replica of Rose and ran as fast as she could, then their father moves them to a small town where he is going to work, but instead spends his time drinking himself into oblivion while staring at Rose’s ashes. Autorka se citlivě dotýká spousty témat (alkoholismus, anorexie, rozvod, šikana, rasismus...) a zpracovává je vážně dobře. Jen mi vadilo, že zvlášť hlavní hrdina občas některé z nich ignoroval. And this line, which reminds me of Lilo and Stitch (which also made me cry by the way), the part where Stitch "This is my family. I found it, all on my own. It's little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good.", but in this case Jamie says: Told with warmth and humor, this powerful novel is a sophisticated take on one family's struggle to make sense of the loss that's torn them apart... and their discovery of what it means to stay together.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. 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! My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is a brilliant book which shows dilemmas and differences that people have. It shows you should never judge people on their appearance, or in this case religion. The author has shown the strong relationships between brothers and sisters and shows weaknesses with other members of the family. Annabel Pitcher has made Jamie sound like he is very confused and containing his emotions. He doesn't remember his sister, he only has memories of others, like his other sister Jasmine, and his mum and his dad. It is a very sad story but has a happy ending. It is a brilliant book and I would recommend it to anyone! The morals and messages in this story of forgiveness, friendship and family... as well as pain and heartbreak are so striking.

I also think it would make a great film or television series, but only for older children. If it was for younger children, many of the serious bits would have to be taken out of the story. 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.She said Halloween is a British tradition and it has nothing to do with being a Christian. I almost said Why do you celebrate it then 'cos I always forgot she was born in England.” Sunya Al-Wasi: 10-14 years old to play an 11-year-old. A Muslim girl who befriends Jamie despite his racist upbringing. She makes him see that racism is prejudice, and not reality.

Ensemble: To be made up of Rose, Young Jamie, Stagehand, Nurse, Mrs. Farmers, Nigel, Daniel, and Aisha Al-Wasi.When we were leaving London, Dad spent about an hour trying to push his wardrobe through the bedroom door. He turned it on its side. He tried it upside down. He tilted it one way and then the other but it just would not fit. Words like "Mum" and "Affair" and "Dad" and "Drinking" were just like that wardrobe--too big to get out. No matter what I did, I couldn't fit them through the space between my teeth.” je veľká pravda, že táto kniha nie je megagigadokonalá. Ale čo koho do toho? Pre mňa osobne sú najlepšie knihy také, kde si zamilujete postavy a ste rozhodnutí ísť s nimi na koniec sveta. Prežívate s nimi všetko, čo oni a vnímate svet ich očami, ste odhodlaní za ne bojovať. To preto som dal Súboji kráľov jednu hviezdu, pretože aj napriek tomu, že štýl Martina je skvelý a jeho svet nemá najmenšej chybičky, postavy so mnou nič nerobili, nič mi nehovorili a bolo mi úplne jedno, či ich Martin v danej kapitole odbachne. Ardagh, Philip (20 May 2011). "My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher – review". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 February 2018. Stagehand: 12-16 years old to play a young man. A gloomy, angry and comedic character who steals the second act with his pessimistic attitude. nevím, co si o téhle knize myslet. Kečupová mračna se mi moc líbila, takže jsem se na Sestru docela těšila. Anotaci jsem nečetla, takže jsem pak byla poměrně překvapená... Příběh je to určitě silný, místy mi z některých postav (třeba Jamieho otec) bylo až zle. Nic to nemění na tom, že jsem začala nenávidět Rose... a ne, bylo mi fuk, že je mrtvá. Je fajn, že tam byl i ten rasismus... Pro mě nejsilnější zážitek? Konec - Kocour. Moje nejoblíbenější postava.