What Jamie Saw Book

I honestly don't remember hearing about this book, which won a Newbery Honor Award in 1996. I don't like the cover art, so probably would have passed it up. I don't really know why I started reading it, but after the first sentence - When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved. -I was hooked. This story tells of domestic violence and its aftermath from the point of view of 3rd grader, Jamie. Even though the ugly subject matter is realistically portrayed, the book has a lyric quality that makes moments vivid. Coman accurately captures that sense of unreality experienced by kids going through a frightening, life-changing experience [p. 23 Once again a Christmasy feeling came over him - of being up late, of getting to fall asleep in a different place, near the grownups, a sense of things, however temporary, being truly different.]. It would be easy to write a story where the mother is neglectful or abusive, but the relationship between Jamie and his mother is beautiful. The author is never heavy-handed or preachy, and there is no easy, pat ending, but she handled the story so delicately, it will stay with me for a long, long time.