Mama's Going to Buy You a Mockingbird

by Jean Little

A Jean Little Classic Jeremy is not having a good summer. His best friends have moved away, and he has to stay at the cottage with only his little sister and Aunt Margery. His parents have remained in the city so his father can have an operation. When Jeremy finally sees him again, he finds out that his father has cancer and isn't going to get better. Suddenly, everything is different. Then Jeremy finds an unlikely friend in Tess, who knows what it's like to lose someone. As his friendship with her grows, through good times and bad, Jeremy discovers that his father has left him something that will live forever...

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Canada, Middle Grade, Death, School

Paperback

First published August 20, 1985

About the author

Jean Little is a Canadian author, born in Taiwan. Her work has mainly consisted of children's literature, but she has also written two autobiographies: Little by Little and Stars Come Out Within. Little has been partially blind since birth as a result of scars on her cornea and is frequently accompanied by a guide dog.

Reviews

[Peter Wynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it when I was sixteen. I remember learning about the title To Kill A Mockingbird (not related) and I thought, yes, Tess Medford is the Mockingbird as Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley were in Harper Lee's story. I would recommend this book to anybody, particularly teenagers, dealing with loss, as it can show that through loss you can find something that is everlasting.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fucking love this book even now that I'm old enough to use the word "fucking."

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

:’) it always feels a little funny to read something that you read yearrrrrrs ago

i first read this in elementary school, probably when i was a bit younger than jeremy. at the time, i really liked this book because it wrapped up so comfortably. bad things happen and then good things happen. everything goes according to plan.

now, the plot feels a little predictable. it’s a bit too perfect, but i don’t mind. it’s a nice feel-good book, although clearly meant for people much younger than me. when i first read it, i remember finding jeremy’s frustration and outbursts and everything very relatable. now, although i sympathize and get that he’s quite young, i can’t imagine ever acting that way. even when i was younger, i don’t think i would’ve been as immature.

but then as the story progressed, i found myself empathizing more and more with him, as well as his mom. this book brought up some memories of when my grandpa was in the hospital with cancer, like jeremy’s dad :’) that was when i was ~3 years older than jeremy. and even though his behaviour seemed childish at the beginning of the book, it made sense all of a sudden.

loss is such a difficult thing for anyone to deal with. at any age, especially if you’re experiencing it for the first time, it makes sense to flounder and not know what to do. jeremy making lopsided christmas tree ornaments (a tradition for their family) to try to keep things normal for his younger sister and adding stuff to his mom’s christmas stocking and taking the two of them out for hamburgers on a bad day reminded me of myself, a bit. also the fact that his dad and him really liked birds. idk. there are so many ways to process and express grief, not just crying or talking.

i don’t remember those months too well, but i remember my stubborn insistence that my grandpa’s windowsill would have as many origami lilies as i could fit in a small blue bucket i got from dollarama. i remember making the flowers on the bumpy car ride downtown, bringing my laptop to finish my french homework on a chair by the door. i remember insisting that i wasn’t too busy to go see him, even though we visited almost every weekend. (that weekly excursion, stopping by coco before going to the hospital, getting lunch at the same place with giant shrimp dumplings and egg noodles, taking snapchat selfies with my brother, walking around the city - that’s probably a big part of what made me so inexplicably fond of and attached to downtown toronto. bc as long as we were visiting downtown, that meant my grandpa was fine)

i remember feverishly making more and more lilies in the hospital lounge at 2am with my brother dozing off next to me, knowing but not *knowing* that my grandpa had died several hours prior. those flowers that a nurse so kindly put in a plastic bag for me that night have been on display on my shelf ever since. i don’t really make that specific lily anymore. i made so many, eventually i could do it perfectly with my eyes shut. probably still could.

and really, what can anyone do but their best when they find out that someone they love is never coming home? so. even though jeremy seemed rather childish (which makes sense, as he was a child) he was doing what he could.

anyways. all that to say, this is a nice book for children (or anyone) dealing with loss for the first time. it captures the numbness and anguish and general feeling of being lost pretty well. the plot is a tad too neat and perfect for my taste, but a solid book for a younger audience.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dare you to read this book without crying. I've read it a million times and I still bawl like a baby.

[writer... · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for the inviting cover and for the classic Jean Little content.

Sensitive treatment of 11 year old Jeremy and his younger sister, summer vacationing at the lake with their paternal aunt, whilst waiting expectantly for their parents' to join them. Father is ill, but they haven't been told more. This is a ya journey through a parent's discovery of cancer and its impact on the family.

Characters are a joy to meet as described by Canadian author, Jean Little. Believable and true to age depicted, it took me back to my own childhood at that stage. Thoughts, actions, reactions - all the characteristic behaviours with Ms Little's added insights of this threat to Jeremy's life as he'd known it.
Endearing moments between father and son, mother and son; maturing moments captured between brother and sister, Jeremy and a classmate his father had suggested befriending. All work together creating a tender story of growth and understanding of family.

Highly recommended.

[Sasha Bredenhof · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
(Sorry there are a few spoilers in this review)
I loved this book... I could tell just by reading the synopsis that it was going to be heartbreakingly sad. And it was. I cried as I read it, as I read about the family grappling with their father's sickness and then his death, and as I read about Jeremy's anger, sadness and feeling alone. It felt very real and honest and showed the growth of Jeremy, of Sarah, of his Mom and of Tess. It was a very moving story. It was so so sad, but with a beautiful and hopeful ending.

[Peter Salva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely stunning YA novel, which had me in tears twice. It tells the story of Jeremy Talbot, an 11-year-old, and his family, as they deal with his father’s cancer and his eventual death. Unlike some YA, the serious topic is dealt with realistically and honestly, without a trace of saccharine. It doesn’t shy away from dealing with complex emotions but it’s also not depressing. This was my first by Little and it won’t be my last.

[Madame Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sad book dealing with the death of a parent. I remember seeing this book in elementary school and finding the cover as sad as the story.

[Φερειπείν · Rating 4 out of 5]

Η μαμά θα σου αγοράσει ένα παπαγαλάκι. Τζην Λιτλ.

Αυτό το τόσο γλυκό και πέρα για πέρα αληθινό βιβλίο προκαλεί με την αφήγησή του μια βαθιά ρωγμή στο ανθρώπινο περίβλημά μας προσφέροντας στους αναγνώστες πραγματική ζωή και το κάνει με μοναδική ενσυναίσθηση, συγκίνηση, ανθρωπιά και σοβαρότητα, χωρίς να εκβιάζει αντιδράσεις αλλά τις προκαλεί αθόρυβα και φυσικά.
Η υφαίνει ένα δίχτυ γενικευμένου ενδιαφέροντος για όσα διδασκόμαστε στη καθημερινότητά μας, χρησιμοποιώντας υλικά τόσο από τη χαρά όσο και από τη λύπη σε μια ολιστική προσέγγιση της ζωής.
Το θλιβερό δε γίνεται δυσάρεστο και η ελπίδα παραμένει ζωντανή, σαν μικροοργανισμός που αναπτύσσεται μεν διακριτικά αλλά δε σταματά να υπάρχει και να καλλιεργεί μια καταφατική στάση απέναντι στη ζωή που συνεχίζεται όποιες κι αν είναι η συνθήκες της.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is rated for 8 to 12 year Olds. Definitely in my opinion not for anyone under the age of 15. Heartwrenching story. I cried several times reading this. 1 star rating for aiming at an audience so young, 4 stars for the writer as it is a good book.

[David Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just appreciated the gentleness of the story and how it didn’t try to wrap up everything too neatly. It felt real.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me cry at the end. Really real feelings expressed in this novel. Read in my 40's.

[kate]

i have a Thing for sad childrens classics about family

[Nina Mielke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeremy und Sarah machen Urlaub im Ferienhaus. Doch in diesem Jahr ist etwas anders: Sie verbringen ihren Urlaub nicht mit Mama und Papa, sondern mit ihrer Tante. Das liegt daran, dass Jeremys Vater (ein Lehrer) vor den Ferien plötzlich ins Krankenhaus musste. Jeremy und seine Schwester wissen nicht, was der Vater für eine Krankheit hat und wünschen sich nichts sehnlicher, als dass er schnell wieder gesund.
Sarah ist noch zu klein um all das zu verstehen, doch die Mutter vertraut Jeremy an, dass der Vater Krebs hat und als er dann plötzlich stirbt, bricht für den Jungen eine Welt zusammen Wie geht man damit um, wenn ein geliebter Mensch stirbt? Jeremy lernt, dass jeder anders damit umgeht: seine Schwester, seine Mutter, seine Tante und er selbst Und er lernt mit der Situation zu leben

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may have been a little predictable in some ways, but not badly so. The way they dealt with the grief felt very real. Anger and humor and trying to forget. Excellent characterization. People felt real. A few of the most minor characters relied a little on stereotypes, but most of them seemed 3D anyway. The plot wasn't the most connected, but it was the best for the subject.

A story that's worthwhile reading. It means something. It takes you through an experience and lets you really feel it without the dark, hopeless feeling some stories of death have.

[Fred Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Through Jerem'y experiences we experience, the death of his father, the undertaking of getting a kitten, the death of a chickadee and how experiences such as these cause us to mature developing a broader understanding of life. AS Jeremy matures he make a friend of a friendless girl who is alone as his understanding of being an individual develops. definitely a A good read!

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly cant recall when I first read this book or how I stumbled on it. All I know is that ,I feel they are people I would have loved to know as good neighbours, or even family. One of my more treasured reads of all time, the Talbots are a life force, much like the Austins of Madeleine L'engles creation.

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

many opstacles can come through life!!!!!!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favourites ... to be completely honest. Still a good read, it almost made me cry. To me it was lacking that "Jean-Little-charm" I'm so used to.

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super sad story but great characters that are very believable. If a child is dealing with cancer in their family, this would be a great book to recommend.

[Chelsea C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book, it's one of my childhood favourites.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a teenager and remembered liking it, so I picked it up again recently. I really enjoyed it, but it is a sad book. Good book for teenagers dealing with loss.

[Sarah Thornton]

Tragically beautiful