I first read this book when I was twelve or thirteen and, going back to it now, in my early twenties, still find it fresh and interesting. Coming from an ethnically mixed family myself, with complicated arrangements involving half-children etc., I could relate to the issues of belonging and self-acceptance in the book. The main character is engaging and thought-provoking, and the whole thing is just beautifully written. I loved the His Dark Materials trilogy, but was just as delighted to find this relatively little-known gem by Philip Pullman.