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Caitlin has just lost her brother, Devon, who was a casualty of a school shooting at his middle school. Making sense of the tragedy is no easy feat for Caitlin. She has Asperger's syndrome, and only sees the world in black and white terms. Emotions are something that she doesn't understand, and Devon had always been there to help explain social nuances when Caitlin just didn't "Get It". As her father wallows in his sorrow for his lost son, Caitlin tries to find "closure" and friendship through t
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Very, very interesting. Strong connection to the character too. There were times when I wanted to shake my hands back and forth really, really fast. That's not said in jest. I could really feel the tension and the emotion, the TRMs, the loss of Devon, the frustration when the other characters didn't Get It. I wasn't familiar at all with Asperger's Syndrome. Seeing it through such a great character and in the context of the loss of Devon was interesting and moving.
My only complaint is that it see ...more
My only complaint is that it see ...more
I liked the book enough to read it straight through (which is unusual for me), but there were quite a few things in it that felt odd to me. I know that the dad had suffered two big losses, his wife and his son, but he seemed to not understand Caitlin very well. Some of his conversations with her just seemed off to me. I also thought the resolution at the end was a bit too understanding. Caitlin made too much progress in the end for me to feel that it was realistic. But, then, again, I don't know
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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 ...more
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 ...more
Interesting read ... yet ANOTHER book with a main character on the autism/Asperger's spectrum, so initially I wasn't that excited about this, and only grudgingly picked it up so I could see if I thought it was in the running this year. But, it is a very touching story about a girl and her widowed father coping with the tragic death of her older brother. It's extremely bittersweet and I cried at the end. On the subway. I loved the dad, I loved Mrs. Brook the school counselor.
Still, I'm a little h ...more
Still, I'm a little h ...more
I believe this is one of those books that adults think teens need to read, but teens think otherwise.
Mockingbird introduces its readers to 10-year-old Caitlin who has aspersers and who has recently lost her brother to a school shooting. I think Erskine wrote a very touching story that demonstrates the frustration of a young girl who is trying to understand why the world doesn't understand her. Although touching, Mockingbird, raised some issues for me. It troubled me that some of the adults woul ...more
Mockingbird introduces its readers to 10-year-old Caitlin who has aspersers and who has recently lost her brother to a school shooting. I think Erskine wrote a very touching story that demonstrates the frustration of a young girl who is trying to understand why the world doesn't understand her. Although touching, Mockingbird, raised some issues for me. It troubled me that some of the adults woul ...more
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
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Kathryn Erskine has taken elements of the Virginia Tech campus shooting and deftly woven them into a fictional account surrounding the effects of such a tragedy on the families and the community. This moving story is given another layer as it is told from the first-person narrative of fifth grader Caitlin; the sister of one of the victims, she is living with Autism. Caitlin's struggle to deal with the absence of her brother, the grief of her father, and the challenges of her disability make for
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A glimpse into mind of a young girl with Asperger's. Loved it!!!
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Too many problems, too many stereotypes...
I enjoyed the insight into Caitlin's thought process and her preceptions. There were parts of this book I really loved. Erskine did an excellent job of creating her Caitlin's character from an internal perspective. As Erskine states in her note at the end of the book, having a greater understanding of how different people process and view the world would lead to greater understanding all around.
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Fantastic book about a 5th grade girl with Asperger's and her struggle to deal with the tragic death of her brother.
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Nov 19, 2011
Caroline Rose
added it
