My Sister Lives On The Mantelpiece

Description: Ten-year-old Jamie Matthews has just moved to the Lake District with his Dad and his teenage sister, Jasmine for a 'Fresh New Start'. Five years ago his sister's twin, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. His parents are wrecked by their grief, Jasmine turns to piercing, pink hair and stops eating. The family falls apart. But Jamie hasn't cried in all that time. To him Rose is just a distant memory. Jamie is far more interested in his cat, Roger, his birthday Spiderman T-shirt, and in keeping his new friend Sunya a secret from his dad. And in his deep longing and unshakeable belief that his Mum will come back to the family she walked out on months ago. When he sees a TV advert for a talent show, he feels certain that this will change everything and bring them all back together once and for all.

Review: This is a warm-hearted, funny tale which will by turns make your spirit soar and your heart break... Painfully honest and beautifully written, you'll devour it - and hopefully be left looking at the world a little differently. COSMOPOLITAN ...it was so moving, sad and yet ultimately uplifting in a way I can't possibly describe to you. It's just something you simply have to read for yourself. MAGIC OF READING This is a book which could easily have sunk under the weight of sentimentality. That it doesn't, that it is an inspiring tale of resilience and kindness, is a tribute to Pitcher. This is a fine debut novel. Truthful, clear-eyed and wise. -- Martin Chilton THE TELEGRAPH Tackling current issues, this debut is brave and significant. DAILY EXPRESS You know how, every once in a while, you find a book that you know will become a class reader, found in every book cupboard, on every reading list? Well, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is just one of those books. It is a stunning, special read. NATE CLASSROOM Heartbreaking and funny in near equal measure the story of 10-year-old Jamie's direct and wide-eyed telling of the emotional chaos he and his family live through following the death of his sister in a terrorist attack is poignant and warm hearted. Emotionally charged, this is a wonderful, touching story that never slips into worthiness. THE OBSERVER I can't imagine you could read this novel and remain dry-eyed ro fail to clutch it tightly, desperate to know what happens next but almost unable to turn the page to fund out in case it's not what you hoped it would be. CORNFLOWER BOOKS I loved this book! Jamie was a fantastic narrator and I felt I understood his complex problems entirely FARM LANE BOOKS the story is told with warmth and humour. A tear-jerker, but without sentimentality. THE INDEPENDENT The stand out title of the year, a heart-warming tale of a young boy whose elder sister has been killed in a bomb attack in London. Despite the dramatic premise, this book manages to be both solidly realistic and very funny. An exceptional debut. -- Suzi Feay FINANCIAL TIMES ... at time funny, at times unbearably sad and is at all times brutally honest. It is one tale that cannot and will not leave you unmoved, and is a truly convincing debut novel. LIBRARY MICE an original, warm and subtle exploration of grief... A complex beautifully drawn story infused with dry wit. -- Viv Groskop THE OBSERVER

Prizes: Winner of Brandford Boase Award 2013.

Author Biography: Annabel graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English Literature and an ambition to be a children's author. She had a variety of jobs before deciding to travel the world and focus on writing. Annabel now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and two young sons. Her first book, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, won the Branford Boase and a Betty Trask Award in 2012 and Ketchup Clouds won the 2014 Waterstones Children's Prize. Annabel's work has been shortlisted for numerous prestigious awards including the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Galaxy British Book Award and the Red House Children's Book Award and longlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the 2012 CILIP Carnegie Medal. Visit Annabel's website at www.annabelpitcher.com and follow her on Twitter @APitcherAuthor.