My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

Frankly, this book would have been a DNF if it hadn't been for David Tennant's narration.

I did enjoy this book. It was well written and artfully handled tragedy in a way that was heart-wrenching without being oppressive. For most of the book, the author's grasp of what it is to be a scared and lonely 10 year old boy. At other times he just seems a bit too mature. But then again, tragedy forces many people to grow up and there ARE people in the world that are naturally loving and forgiving.
Anywho, the conflict is what got me. Call me a wuss (or a “victim” of DODDS education), but I hate conflict centered on race. It just makes me all squirmy inside and I vacillate between wanting to put the book down or jump to the defense of the characters (which is ridiculous, because it's a story). At one point I had put it down and saw on the back cover that it'd been given a rave review by David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame), and then discovered he'd narrated it for the audiobook. So, of course I had to see what he thought was so amazing about it.
Like I said, it was an enjoyable book treating real-life tragedy and conflict in a touching way that wraps itself up in a neat little bow at the end. Perhaps not as neat a package as Jamie would like, but that's life.