Mockingbird in Mock Newbery 2026

Jul 30, 2010 Pam rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, children-s

This book is another children's book that has been getting lots of buzz this summer. Like the narrator in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Caitlin has a form of autism. Erskine captures Catlin's voice so well and I thoroughly enjoyed her as a character; in fact much more than the voice in The London Eye Mystery.

However, Erskine can't leave enough alone and has to add those ridiculous Fine Art plot points that I find so annoying. Caitlin is looking for closure as a result of he ...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Carol Royce Owen rated it liked it · review of another edition

I was attracted to this book because of someone dear to my heart who has Aspergers, so I hoped it would give me some insight into his mind. Did it? Not really. I liked the story, and was saddened for Kaitlyn, and wanted her to find the closure that she needed concerning her brother, but I wanted more.

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May 07, 2010 The Styling Librarian rated it really liked it

Shelves: kids-books

This was one beautiful read. Took some work to get used to no quotations in the book. Interesting character voice, really enjoyed. Possible Newbery- quite an original with a memorable plot.

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Aug 02, 2010 Ellie rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, school-age, girls, disability, asperger-s

What I liked: The narration style (I like stream-of-consciousness, so this was fine for me. Wouldn't work well for someone who dislikes stream-of-consciousness), the realistic portrayal of Caitlin and her challenges, the To Kill A Mockingbird theme. Also, this was a quick read, which was nice.

What I disliked: The whole Eagle Scout sub-plot. This probably irked me more than most people because having grown up in a scouting family, with two Eagle Scout brothers, I probably have a better idea of wh What I liked: The narration style (I like stream-of-consciousness, so this was fine for me. Wouldn't work well for someone who dislikes stream-of-consciousness), the realistic portrayal of Caitlin and her challenges, the To Kill A Mockingbird theme. Also, this was a quick read, which was nice.

What I disliked: The whole Eagle Scout sub-plot. This probably irked me more than most people because having grown up in a scouting family, with two Eagle Scout brothers, I probably have a better idea of what age Eagle Scouts usually are and the requirements they have to meet to become an Eagle Scout. I'm not entirely sure the author researched this well because a half-hour chat with any Scout leader would have cleared this up quickly. Usually, the rank of Eagle Scout is not earned until the scout is between the ages 16 and 18. It is possible to earn it earlier, but the requirements that need to be met, such as certain amounts of time in various other ranks and leadership positions, as well as the heavy emphasis that is placed on earning merit badges (that can seriously take a long time - if Devon was really 13-14, he would have pretty much have to have been doing nothing else except working on merit badges and going to school to earn his Eagle), it is extremely unusual for someone to earn Eagle at the age of 13-14.

Another problem I had with this whole Eagle Scout thing was that the project Devon was working on was NOT an Eagle Scout project. Eagle Scout projects must be approved by the scout's troop leader as well as another committee and the local council. There is absolutely no way that the project of learning how to build a mission chest and teaching other scouts this skill would be an acceptable service project. The BSA advancement policies state that "For a service project to qualify as an Eagle Scout service project, the Scout, while a Life Scout, must plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project benefiting any religious institution, school, or community." His project seems to do none of these things.

The author could have easily talked to some scouting people and been able to adjust the story while still using a scouting theme (maybe the chest-making could have been part of a merit badge, or perhaps she could have just made Devon a few years older), but not doing so was really sloppy and annoying to me. ...more

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Mar 17, 2011 The Reading Countess rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction

Caitlin sees black and white. A talented artist comfortable only drawing in black and white, her autism makes life as a fifth grader challenging, at best. But when her beloved brother Devon is suddenly and brutally taken from her and her father, Asperger's is a curtain that separates her from everyone else. Both father and daughter are unable to express their unspeakable grief until "Scout" (the name affectionately dubbed Caitlin by Devon) stumbles upon an avenue for closure that no one expected ...more

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May 17, 2010 The Reading Countess rated it really liked it

Shelves: realistic-fiction

Caitlin is suffering. Her brother has just been tragically stolen from her. With Devon gone, Caitlin must figure out what life will look like with just her grieving father to care for her. This would be challenging for any eleven year old child. But Caitlin isn't JUST a eleven year old girl. She's a gifted artist with Asperger's in search of closure. What she doesn't know is that the people who can help heal her wounds are those she would least expect.

With the proliferation of students on the sp ...more

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Nov 11, 2010 Kim rated it liked it

Shelves: chapter, family, disabilities, death

Catlin has Asperger's Syndrome and has difficulty with emotions. When a tragedy rocks her family and community, she struggles with the aftermath. I had difficulty with this book. It felt like two books forced together. One about a school shooting and one about a girl with Asperger's. ...more

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Dec 31, 2010 Caren rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s-fiction

Kindle edition. Excellent story about a young 12 year old girl who has Asbergers, who is dealing with the violent death of her older brother.
Excellent. All school psychs should read this one.
Strongly being considered for the Newbery.

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Oct 21, 2010 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: work

Newbery contender, NBA winner. Beautiful. Hard sell to kids? Not everything rings exactly right, but still v good and moving

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Aug 08, 2011 clare o'c rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grades, families, misunderstood, mental-health-issues, misfits, aspergers, after-a-death

Pretty amazing story from inside the mind of a 5th grade asperger girl whose middle-school brother was killed in a school shooting. Her mother died of cancer, and her dad is reeling from this latest tragedy. she doesn't 'GET IT'. Tho she does get some things in a literal way that most wouldn't understand. Her's is a sad and lonely existence, and she tries so hard to both understand and be understood by all those around her. The author does a great job of showing us the difficulties of both being ...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Mary Louise Sanchez rated it really liked it

Caitlin is a 10 year old girl, although she appears to be younger, with Asperger's syndrome who has to also face the challenge of losing her older brother in a shooting at the local middle school, after already losing her mother to cancer. Caitlin's journey to "closure" focuses on building relationships, helping her single father with his journey and learning to be empathetic, with the help of her teacher and even the dictionary. Caitlin, aka Scout, because her brother nicknamed her after his fa ...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Jen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-and-ya

A glimpse into mind of a young girl with Asperger's. Loved it!!! ...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Jennifer added it

Nothing like crying on the ellipical at the gym.

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Sep 08, 2010 Maureen Milton rated it did not like it

Shelves: arbor-intermediates

Too many problems, too many stereotypes...

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Sep 08, 2010 Lara Ivey rated it it was amazing

I'm loving "hearing" the "thinking" of this young autistic girl who's brother has recently died. I'm curious about the author and her background with autism...seems "spot-on" to me. Impressed with the writing style and love how there are capitalized phrases and rules throughout the story.

This was one of those stories that you had to slow down at the end...not wanting to finish and say good-bye to the characters. ...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Alyson marked it as didn-t-finish

I am having trouble getting through this. At first I was intrigued by Caitlin's communcation problems. It is not always her with the problem - the other characters are failing to communicate also, but I am getting bored. Is there any plot?

There are so many positive reviews, but do people just not want to say anything bad about the book because they are so concerned for Caitlin?

Should I keep on reading? ...more

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