Mockingbird

Title: Mockingbird
Author: Kathryn Erskine
Publisher: New York : Philomel Books (2010)
ISBN: 9780399252648 0399252649
Pages: 235

4 bookmarks

Awards: National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2010), YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), International Children's and Young Adults Book Award (2011)

Mockingbird is a touching story about 10 year old Caitlin, who suffers from autism. Caitlin sees everything in concretes- black-white, good-evil. She often has trouble "getting it" and has relied a lot on her older brother, Devon to help her. However, Devon has been killed recently in a tragic school shooting, leaving Caitlin and her father reeling and struggling to get closure. The tragedy makes it even more difficult for Caitlin to make friends than it was before. With the help of her school counselor, Caitlin learns to cope with her grief and make friends. In order to help her and her father, Caitlin happens upon the idea of finishing the chest that Devon was working on for his eagle scout project.

It is not often that an author tries to take on the perspective of a person with a disability, especially one such as autism. Kathryne Erskine is able to make a fairly believable portrayal of Caitlin, who is obviously high functioning autistic. This book would be great for students to read who are have an autistic classmate so that they are able to understand that perspective on things. It would also be a great book for students to read who have suffered a tragedy, such as the loss of a classmate.