New Book Review: Mockingbird

by Kathryn Erskine
235 pages
Best for 4th grade and up
Call number: J Erskine

This year’s National Book Award winner, Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is one of the best (and fastest) books I have read in a long time. Aimed at 4th-6th grade readers, Mockingbird deals with issues that even adults and teens struggle with. It is a great read for late elementary and middle school book clubs, as well for teens and adults to discuss.

Caitlin, 11, is a wonderful artist that only draws pictures in black and white—it’s easier than using colors, because colors are messy. Caitlin could very well be the best artist in the state, at least her brother and dad think so. That is, until "The Day Our Life Fell Apart" when her brother is a victim of a shooting at his middle school. Now Caitlin, her father, and the rest of their small town have to deal with the aftermath and attempt to find closure. A tragic event told through the eyes of a child with Asperger’s, we can see how Caitlin views her classmates and how they treat each other. We see her interact with her councilor, her teachers, and try to make friends in the wake of tragedy all the while remembering her brother’s favorite movie “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Click here to view this title in the catalog

-JW-

Posted in: Fiction,New Book Review,New Book Review-fiction