59th out of 254 books
—
1,640 voters
The Mockingbirds (The Mockingbirds #1)
by
Daisy Whitney (Goodreads Author)
Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.
Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mo...more
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.
Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mo...more
Hardcover, 332 pages
Published
November 2nd 2010
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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Amelia, the pragmatic idealist
rated it
Added this book a few days ago.
Bought it yesterday.
Decided it was crap. Returned it.
I had a "review" on here, but I took it down because in reality, it was an open invitation for trolls to gripe me out. No thank you.
The end.
Most of the reviews I've posted haven't been getting a lot of attention, so I doubt this one will matter, either.
Bought it yesterday.
Decided it was crap. Returned it.
I had a "review" on here, but I took it down because in reality, it was an open invitation for trolls to gripe me out. No thank you.
The end.
Most of the reviews I've posted haven't been getting a lot of attention, so I doubt this one will matter, either.
It's taken me a long while to get around to reviewing this book. I was dreading it as voicing my thoughts on this book make me feel like a horrible person, especially given that the author was a victim of date rape, but...this book was deplorable.
I appreciated the conflict endured by Alex (the heroine) as she struggles with the loss of her virginity, and anguishes over whether or not she has been a victim of a crime, or merely her own poor choices. Frankly, I'm a bit torn as well. Sh...more
I appreciated the conflict endured by Alex (the heroine) as she struggles with the loss of her virginity, and anguishes over whether or not she has been a victim of a crime, or merely her own poor choices. Frankly, I'm a bit torn as well. Sh...more
Wanna know what I did for a whole day after reading The Mockingbirds? Well, I did absolutely nothing besides sit there and think about it. My body was doing stuff, but my mind was always somewhere else. My mind was in The Mockingbirds. I absolutely can’t get this book out of my head. It will always be with me wherever I go. This is not a book I think I will ever be able to forget.
Alex was such a strong character. She was the victim of a horrible crime, date-rape. But she refused to g...more
Alex was such a strong character. She was the victim of a horrible crime, date-rape. But she refused to g...more
So I was lucky enough to get an early read on The Mockingbirds way back, and I LOVED it. I still love it. It's a real testament to the novel's strength that every word has stayed with me from my first read to its publication and I am so thrilled that it's out on shelves for the world to read, appreciate and discuss. Because oh, there is much to discuss in this one.
The Mockingbirds is about Alex, a junior at the elite Themis Academy, a prestigious boarding school which prides itsel...more
The Mockingbirds is about Alex, a junior at the elite Themis Academy, a prestigious boarding school which prides itsel...more
What happens when, being a hater of Issues Books, you're confronted with an Issues Book concerning an issue you actually feel strongly about?
Every element of plot in The Mockingbirds -- every character -- has some function in the task of showing that sex without explicit consent or ability to consent is rape; that though rape may be a difficult crime to prosecute and so humiliating to the victim going through the process, those victims who speak out are validating victims everywhere....more
Every element of plot in The Mockingbirds -- every character -- has some function in the task of showing that sex without explicit consent or ability to consent is rape; that though rape may be a difficult crime to prosecute and so humiliating to the victim going through the process, those victims who speak out are validating victims everywhere....more
I loved mostly everything about The Mockingbirds. The writing was superior. The subject matter was one that needs to be talked about and the characters were drawn very well. Even the smallest character in the book had a fantastic voice. The rape scenes were believable and scary. The black outs from the drinking caused the character to remember her rape in bits and I loved that aspect of the book.
I think this book in time will be looked to and taught in classes around the country. I d...more
I think this book in time will be looked to and taught in classes around the country. I d...more
I really hate when I wait so long to review a book after I read it. I don't even have a copy of it here to refer to, so I'm really just giving my impression of what I could remember from this book.
If I remember correctly, this was Daisy Whitney's first novel, and frankly, I felt like it showed. I found the story idea really interesting, but the execution of the plot and the writing itself was a bit so-so. The basic premise is that at an elite boarding school, a small group of st...more
If I remember correctly, this was Daisy Whitney's first novel, and frankly, I felt like it showed. I found the story idea really interesting, but the execution of the plot and the writing itself was a bit so-so. The basic premise is that at an elite boarding school, a small group of st...more
Shannon Messenger
added it
I'll admit--while I was intensely curious about this book because of all the buzz, I was also more than a little apprehensive. Not just because of the subject matter, but also because so often books that deal with issues turn into 300+ page soapbox lectures about THE ISSUES and you start to feel like, wait--is this a Lifetime special of the week? So I was relieved and amazed when THE MOCKINGBIRDS was nothing like that.
Yes, it deals with the subject of date rape in an honest, heartbrea...more
Yes, it deals with the subject of date rape in an honest, heartbrea...more
*Please note the rating is 2.5 stars*
I had expected a LOT from the book. Unfortunately, the book turned out to be a mixed bag. I know a lot of people would disagree with me; there have been so many positive reviews of the book. This is just my opinion of the book. It should not deter you, if you want to give it a try.
I did not hate the book. There were good parts; but the bad parts outweighed the good.
I will start with the positive aspects.
The Mockingbirds ha...more
I had expected a LOT from the book. Unfortunately, the book turned out to be a mixed bag. I know a lot of people would disagree with me; there have been so many positive reviews of the book. This is just my opinion of the book. It should not deter you, if you want to give it a try.
I did not hate the book. There were good parts; but the bad parts outweighed the good.
I will start with the positive aspects.
The Mockingbirds ha...more
Why did I wait so long to read this one? I remember reading rave reviews when it came out and seeing people mention it on Twitter. For some reason I bought it but never actually picked it up. Thank goodness for readathons! The Mockingbirds had me totally engrossed in the story and its outcome.
The book starts out "the morning after." Alex wakes up in a boy's bed and has no memory of the night before. It soon becomes clear that they had sex. Alex knows that if she had b...more
The book starts out "the morning after." Alex wakes up in a boy's bed and has no memory of the night before. It soon becomes clear that they had sex. Alex knows that if she had b...more
The Mockingbirds By: Daisy Whitney
Setting: In Themis Academy in Connecticut, Modern Day
Summary: At the very beginning of the novel, Alex Patrick has no idea why she is in a guy’s room at her exclusive boarding school. Soon after, she realizes that she was date-raped by a boy she barley knew, Carter Hutchinson, and because Themis Academy doesn’t penalize wrongdoers, she has nowhere to turn for help. Except the Mockingbirds. They are group of students who right the wrongs ...more
Setting: In Themis Academy in Connecticut, Modern Day
Summary: At the very beginning of the novel, Alex Patrick has no idea why she is in a guy’s room at her exclusive boarding school. Soon after, she realizes that she was date-raped by a boy she barley knew, Carter Hutchinson, and because Themis Academy doesn’t penalize wrongdoers, she has nowhere to turn for help. Except the Mockingbirds. They are group of students who right the wrongs ...more
The emotional , page turning book, The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney brings the reader through the highs and lows of Alex Patrick, the female rape victim of The Mockingbirds. After a night of drinking and impulsive decisions, Alex finds herself naked beside Carter Hutchinson, the cocky water polo player. Tangled under her bed sheets, she finds the evidence, two condom wrappers. She rummages through her memory though the book to find the truth to what happened last night while leaning on her fri...more
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I really really liked this book. I couldn't get enough of it. The Mockingbirds was one of those books that I couldn't stop thinking about it. While I was at work I couldn't help but think about what Alex was going to do next and if things were going to develop with her and a certain geeky boy.
There was a point one night where I was racing trying to finish a chapter (at midnight, way past my bed time) because I want to know what was ...more
I really really liked this book. I couldn't get enough of it. The Mockingbirds was one of those books that I couldn't stop thinking about it. While I was at work I couldn't help but think about what Alex was going to do next and if things were going to develop with her and a certain geeky boy.
There was a point one night where I was racing trying to finish a chapter (at midnight, way past my bed time) because I want to know what was ...more
I had heard so much buzz over this novel and I was anxiously waiting to get my hands on it from my library. I definitely loved this book. Alex is a good girl, not one to drink and definitely not one to go home with a random guy after a party. But at the beginning of this novel that's exactly the situation Alex is in. She has woken up in a strange bed, aware that something happened, but unsure what exactly. When she sees the strange guy with her she knows something terrible happened. After piecin...more
Alex Patrick is a model student at Themis Academy. She has the rare gift of music in her blood, and she absolutely adores Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. She’s respectful, considerate, a model student, daughter and sister. She has two amazing best friends who also happen to be her roommates; and she dreams of, one day, going to Juillard to study music. She had a semi-serious boyfriend last year, but when he went to college things cooled off. In other words, Alex is just a regular old student at...more
This book is about an Important Issue but I’m not sure how helpful it will be for girls who’ve experienced date rape. The most powerful and believable parts of the book are those focused on Alex’s feelings and it’s clear from the author’s note where she describes her own experience that there’s a good reason why she knows just how Alex felt. But then it was an odd choice to leave her own true story, in which she went to the school authorities and ended up leading a crusade, which sounds like a t...more
I had a copy of The Mockingbirds sitting on my shelf for months. I really wanted to read it and needed to read it, but rape is a hard subject to tackle and you really have to be in the right frame of mind and mood to read something this heavy.
The opening scene is Alex waking up in the dorm room of a stranger--or more accurately, a strange boy. She's disoriented, groggy, lying in bed with a boy she doesn't know, and can't remember how she got there. Her confusion and realizations are h...more
The opening scene is Alex waking up in the dorm room of a stranger--or more accurately, a strange boy. She's disoriented, groggy, lying in bed with a boy she doesn't know, and can't remember how she got there. Her confusion and realizations are h...more
This book should be required reading in high school. Seriously. Alex attends Themis Academy - a super-elite private boarding school. The Themis faculty and administration pride themselves on the stellar quality of their students, and as such are willfully ignorant of anything that might tarnish the school's reputation - surely perfect Themis students would never do anything wrong.
So when Alex is date raped by another student, the only ones she can turn to for help are the Mockingbirds,...more
So when Alex is date raped by another student, the only ones she can turn to for help are the Mockingbirds,...more
I just didn't buy this book. Apart from the protagonist, these characters were all incredibly bland. And stupid. And annoying. Why weren't her friends angrier on her behalf? Why wasn't her sister angrier? Why didn't they question what was going on that night if they could so easily dissect where it all went wrong the next day? 'oh, you were pretty hammered and I knew you hadn't eaten all day and I knew that it was out of character for you but I just continued to supply you with vodka.' Huh?
...more
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This book falls into the OK category. Perhaps as it has a touchy subject (date rape), perhaps because it is written rather simplistically, with the ending you expect and the growth you would expect in a character that had dealt with such an event. It was a quick read, and you did want to see what happened in the end (although you really knew all the way through). What was more interesting was the justice system that the students put in place as the administration too frequently turned a blind...more
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The Mockingbirds (by Daisy Whitney) gave me a very unique insight into one of society’s most prevalent yet less discussed problems – rape. How Daisy Whitney described the main character Alex’s feelings after the rape felt extremely real. This was, in part, due to Daisy Whitney’s experiences; having been raped during her freshman year at university, she was able to accurately describe, via Alex, the true horrors and feelings of the aftermath of the rape. She had described going into the cafet...more
There is no doubt that The Mockingbirds is a good book, I like it because it reveals some of the modern day problems associated with teenagers: like sex, alcohol and date-raped; As well, it teaches me speaking up and getting help are good ways to overcome problems. The book offers many real life situations and meaningful lessons; I am sure many of us will appreciate these qualities and feel interested to read it.
This book talks about the horrific experience of a girl named Alex, she w...more
This book talks about the horrific experience of a girl named Alex, she w...more
Sam1001uel
added it
The Mockingbirds, is a book written by Daisy Whitney. It’s one of the greatest books I’ve ever seen. It’s a story about Alex, a college student who got date raped. I like this book because the story is realistic. The writer has done a great job on describing Alex’s feeling. “My heart hammers and my head hurts and there’s this taste in my mouth, this dry, parched taste, this heavy taste of a night I don’t remember with…” (The Mockingbirds p.2) I can actually feel what Alex is feeling when she fi...more
This is quite a powerful story about date rape that is taken from the author's own experience.
Alex, a budding pianist at a free-spirited private school called Thetis Academy, wakes up in the bed of a male classmate, unable to remember how she got there. She discovers, to her horror, that her bedmate, Carter, claims that they had sex twice. Alex was a virgin and is repulsed by Carter's claim that they did it and that she enjoyed it. She reveals what happened to her sister and some ...more
Alex, a budding pianist at a free-spirited private school called Thetis Academy, wakes up in the bed of a male classmate, unable to remember how she got there. She discovers, to her horror, that her bedmate, Carter, claims that they had sex twice. Alex was a virgin and is repulsed by Carter's claim that they did it and that she enjoyed it. She reveals what happened to her sister and some ...more
The Mockingbirds is the story of Alex, a high school junior at an exclusive boarding school, who wakes one morning to find she has been dated raped after having a few too many drinks. Not wanting to go to the police, and knowing full well that her school won't do anything, she is faced with the decision of what to do next. Concluding that she will just get on with her life, another option presents itself in the form of The Mockingbirds, an underground student-run justice system, born due to the ...more
Alex is a junior at a prestigious, progressive New England boarding school when she wakes up, disoriented, in an unfamiliar dorm room next to a naked boy whose name she can’t remember. She remembers going to the concert. She remembers playing drinking games. After that — nothing. When Alex makes her way back to her room, her roommate suggests that if she can’t remember having sex, she was probably date raped. Though Alex initially hesitates to accept this diagnosis, bits and pieces of the evenin...more
Overall I liked this book. Definitely a title for older teens as it deals with date-rape at a boarding school, and there's some fairly graphic descriptions of the rape. The author based the story on some of her own experiences, and the conceit of the story is that the adults have let the students down by ignoring any injustices like bullying, cheating, etc. that happen on campus. So the students have formed "The Mockingbirds" a student-run organization that dispenses justice. As th...more
Alex has been blessed with a gift of music, and she attends a preparatory high school and dreams of Julliard. Normally studious and focused on academics, Alex joins her friends for a night celebrating and finds herself in a strange bed next to a boy she does not know the next morning. She is appalled and ashamed as she tries to remember the events of the night before. Her roommate guesses what happened and sets up a meeting with the two of them and Alex's sister, who assembled the Mockingbirds, ...more
Alex Patrick is a busy junior at an exclusive Providence, R.I., boarding school. But studies, her spring project, even her beloved music, take second place to the aftermath of her date rape by a fellow student. When she tells a roomate, the school's underground student justice system takes over.
The system is run by the Mockingbirds, a group founded by Alex's older sister when she was a student there. Although Casey told Alex about it, there weren't details. Because the school is an e...more
The system is run by the Mockingbirds, a group founded by Alex's older sister when she was a student there. Although Casey told Alex about it, there weren't details. Because the school is an e...more
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By day, Daisy Whitney is a producer, on-air correspondent, podcaster and raconteur in the new media business. At night, she writes novels for teens and THE MOCKINGBIRDS is her debut. Little, Brown will publish it in fall 2010. When Daisy's not inventing fictional high school worlds, she can be found somewhere north of San Francisco walking her adorable dog, watching online TV with her fabulous hus...more
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“[Referring to rape] It already is bigger than everything else. It lives in front of me, behind me, next to me, inside me every single day. My schedule is dictated by it, my habits by it, my music by it.”
—
11 people liked it
“I don't need to be any place else, because the music takes me to the only place I want to be right now. To the place where I am and have always been wholly me, the onyly church I've ever belonged to, the only place I've ever prayed.”
—
9 people liked it
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