Mockingbird

Kathryn Erskine

Apr 2010 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER and ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT NOVELS OF OUR TIME FOR YOUNG READERS

Caitlin has Asperger's. The world according to her is black and white; anything in between is confusing. Before, when things got confusing, Caitlin went to her older brother, Devon, for help. But Devon was killed in a school shooting, and Caitlin's dad is so distraught that he is just not helpful. Caitlin wants everything to go back to the way things were, but she doesn't know how to do that. Then she comes across the word closure--and she realizes this is what she needs. And in her search for it, Caitlin discovers that the world may not be so black and white after all.

"Powerful."--Publishers Weekly

"A strong and complex character study."--The Horn Book

"Allusions to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the portrayal of a whole community's healing process, and the sharp insights into Caitlyn's behavior enhance this fine addition to the recent group of books with narrators with autism and Asbergers."--Booklist

Ratings and reviews

This book was boring to me. It was a depressing story about a girl who didnt understand much, and thought colors were messy and black and white were easier to use. Everything was easy for her besides making friends and feeling empathy. Throughout the whole book it was non-stop talking about closure....closure...........and even more closure! By the end of this book i knew the definition of closure more than anyone should ever know! Closure became an overworked, overused, and a progressivly annoying word! But then again this book made me realize that i prefer more action with cars blowing up and the suspense that made you want to keep reading, to reassure yourself that the character wasnt dead. I was forced to read this book, as it would hurt my reading grade, but otherwise i wouldve stopped. This book went on about things i dont need to know about, and even after reading only 10 pages a day, i didnt find myself one time, wanting to read more... to keep going. I was distracted by the older kids (the 7th graders), and to tell you the truth, they were more intresting, even though they only were going to lunch, taunting us 6th graders, the 6th graders bored with there books that is. I became frustrated the further i got into the book, realizing what i wanted out of it; To feel some emotion, any emotion really. I felt nothing and the book even talked about empathy! I still just....I couldnt find a point, the problem, with a well deserved solution at the very end after waiting for what seemed like forever. According to my first grade teacher, a story should have 3 parts: beginning/setting the scene, Middle/the PROBLEM, end/ the SOLUTION. I would not recommend it.

Caitlin is a young girl with Asberger's, who has trouble making connections at school and understanding others. Her brother recently died, and he was her best friend, so she is forced to learn how to live more independently.

From a short video clip about the book i bout cryed so i purchased this book hoping to get a head start on the book before everybody else this summer and the book want ket me read it i dont no what to do i tryed everything

About the author

Kathryn Erskine spent many years as a lawyer before realizing that she’d rather write things that people might actually enjoy reading. She grew up mostly overseas and attended eight different schools, her favorite being the Hogwarts-type castle in Scotland. The faculty, of course, did not consist of wizards, although . . . how did the headmistress know that it was “the wee redhead” who led the campaign to free the mice from the biology lab? Erskine draws on her childhood—and her second childhood through her children—for her stories. She still loves to travel but nowadays most trips tend to be local, such as basketball and tennis courts, occasional emergency room visits, and the natural food store for very healthy organic chocolate with “life saving” flavonoids.