Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
Release Date: April 15, 2010

“I guess the good news is that everybody has to put up with being special because everybody is alive.”

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is the tale of 10-year-old Caitlin, a talented young artist with Asperger’s syndrome. In Mockingbird, Caitlin is on the search for “Closure” after the death of her older brother, Devon. The novel is told from Caitlin’s point of view, and the reader gets a unique look into the mind of a child that sees the world very differently from the average person.

What did I love about Mockingbird? Mainly, Caitlin’s voice. Erskine crafts a character in Caitlin that will be loved by whomever reads this book. Caitlin’s mind and world-view are so exceptional, and I read with awe as she navigated the complicated business of the world around her. By the end of Mockingbird, I really felt an empathy for Caitlin, her father, and for several other characters that she encounters in the story. The book is beautifully written, moving, and packed with images that leave a lasting impression.

I think this novel hits the mark directly on its attempt to showcase a person with a difference about them that not many people in our world understand. Today, autism and Asperger’s syndrome are everywhere in the media and in what we read and watch (for example, Adam, a recent movie starring Hugh Dancy, and also Jodi Picoult’s new title, House Rules). Mockingbird doesn’t feel like just another telling of someone with Asperger’s, but a truly new, warm, and inspiring take on this syndrome.

I recommend this book for fans of Rebecca Stead, Laura Resau, Kate DiCamillo, and Melina Marchetta. Mockingbird will be released on April 15, 2010, by Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

ARC received from the publisher for review–thank you! Quote taken from ARC copy of book, subject to change in the final published version.

For More: Visit Kathryn Erksine’s website, and also visit Amazon.com or IndieBound to purchase this book!

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