Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Mockingbird. Kathryn Erskine. Philomel Books, c.2010. 232 pages.

Plot:

Kathryn Erskine’s Mockingbird is narrated by Caitlin, a 10 year old girl with Asperger’s syndrome. Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has just been killed in a school shooting and Caitlin, with the help of a kind school counselor, struggles with finding closure for her and her father.

Review/personal thoughts:

Erskine makes a great contribution to young adult literature with Mockingbird for several reasons. In employing a narrator with Asperger’s syndrome, she takes on many challenges. Caitlin’s interpretations of the world around her are absolutely literate and entirely unemotional. However, I found that I quickly began to understand her thought process. By giving Caitlin a voice, Erskine forces her young readers to see the world from Caitlin’s point of view. Readers are made aware of the difficulties of living with Asperger’s syndrome as Caitlin faces them. Mockingbird gives readers the chance to better understand someone who is different, and in doing so gives them the tools for acceptance. 

Erskine’s novel also deals with the issue of grief, demonstrating the different ways in which people deal with grief. Caitlin, for example, remains mostly unemotional, though she does miss her older brother and his patient explanations and guidance. She understands that Devon is dead, yet she still expresses her desire to do the things with him that she used to. This, as does any mention of Devon, upsets her father greatly. In fact, he conceals Devon’s chest (an unfinished Eagle Scout project) with a sheet so that he doesn’t have to see it. He also spends a lot of time crying. Josh, a boy at school, offers readers yet another example of grief. The cousin of the school shooter who killed Devon, Josh deals with his grief by acting out until he finally breaks down at school.

Mockingbird deals with difficult topics, but handles them with “finesse” (one of Caitlin’s favorite vocabulary words). It not only brings its readers an understanding of what it’s like living with Asperger’s syndrome, but also provides a well rounded view of the ways in which a community deals with the aftermath of a traumatic event. 


Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Reading level: ages 9-12

Awards:
National Book Award for Young People's Literature, 2010