Kathryn Erskine

Get ready for tears. The book opens at a wake for Caitlin's older brother Devon, who has just died in a school shooting. Caitlin has Asperger's, and thus has difficulty understanding her own emotions or those of her father. Mockingbird is simultaneously sweet, tragic, and funny as we watch Caitlin deal with Devon's death and the changes it brings to her life. This book really promotes trying to understand and empathize with people who are different from us or who act in ways we don't show more understand. The reader gets tremendous insight into the mind of someone with Asperger's, while at the same time Caitlin learns to look at the world from others' points of view. Mockingbird is a must-read for almost any child, particularly those who come in contact with those who have Asperger's. I would only hesitate giving this book to children who have experienced the death of a sibling or the death of a family member in a violent manner. show less

This book for young people is narrated by a ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Aspergers Syndrome and is dealing with her own and her father's grief after the sudden death of her big brother -- the one person in the world who seemed to understand her.

Just getting through life under ordinary circumstances is a battle for Caitlin, whose classmates and teachers don't understand her. Her guidance counselor works with her to get her to learn how to understand other people's point of view and to have show more empathy, but everyone -- sometimes even including the counsellor -- seems unable to understand and empathize with how Caitlin views the world.

Caitlin is a literal thinker who sees things in black and white without shades of gray. She hears the word "closure" on a news broadcast about the community tragedy which took her brother's life, and seeks out a dictionary definition of the word -- and then the reality of what it means.

I believe Erskine creates very believable characters -- Caitlyn herself, struggling to understand herself and her world; the good-hearted but dense and grief-stricken father; the well-intentioned but sometimes clueless guidance counsellor; the teachers with their varying degrees of understanding; and the other kids who can sometimes be monsters without meaning to. And Devon, the deceased brother, is a genuine character in the book as he is fleshed out by Caitlyn's fond memories.

The book has some stylistic idiosyncracies because it is written in Caitlin's voice. Dialogue is italicized. Capital letters appear in odd places -- but not odd at all, once you get into Caitlin's worldview. I found her voice very authentic and powerful.

In the place where a dedication would normally be placed, Erskine simply writes: "In hopes that we may all understand each other better." I think this book may be a step in that direction.

A very moving book! show less

“How are you going to make history?” Red’s elderly black neighbor, Miss Georgia asks him when he says he doesn’t like history. It is 1972 in rural Virginia. Red’s father has died unexpectedly and his mama has to sell the family farm, the farm that’s been in the family for at least four generations. Red finds himself enjoying his young teacher’s approach to making them think. He worries about his friend, Rosie, and her violent father. And he wants to find the Freedom Church that show more Miss Georgia’s great grandfather had started before he was shot to death. This book has the same intensity that Curtis’ The Watsons Go to Birmingham has. The description of Emmett Till’s murder is graphic, but perfectly in touch with the reality of the times. This book is about kinship. And as Miss Georgia points out that may be more than those to whom you are related. It’s about being a part of history and coming to terms with a murder your great grandfather committed in order to gain property. But most of all its about making history and knowing that you stand up for what is right. Grades 5-9 show less

It can be very hard to put yourself into someone else's shoes when those shoes are so different from yours. Mockingbird tells the story of Caitlin, a ten year old with Asperger's Syndrome, who is learning to live in a world that she often doesn't understand. That world includes the death of her brother, Devon, who was killed in a school shooting. Caitlin often looked to her brother to know what to do in social situations, and now she doesn't have his support. Luckily, Caitlin has other show more supportive people in her life, including Mrs. Brook, her school counselor, who helps her change her view of the world from black and white to see the shades in between.

The greatest strength of this book is the author's ability to allow the reader inside Caitlin's world to see what it might be like to have Asperger's Syndrome. The longer we have the opportunity to sit in her skin, so to speak, the more empathy, compassion, and understanding we can have for Caitlin, and others on the autism spectrum. show less