Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Philomel
April 2010
235 pgs.

Summary
Ten-year-old Caitlin, who has Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while at home she seeks closure by working on a project with her father.

8 comments:

  1. Although a good story, there were elements that seemed too convenient. Also, not sure the age group for this one as the subject matter is heavy.

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  2. Exquisite, moving, life-affirming. The author does a great job at portraying the thought process of a child different than the norm, and at tackling tough issues of grief in ways that can be understood by anyone from a first-grader to an adult. I think the voice of the narrator will stay with me a long time....

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  3. This is my next one...I started it & then got pulled away. Already in the first few pages I was struck by the narrator's distinctive voice. Could be a truly great book!

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  4. I really like this book. It's really touching.

    - Zoe

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  5. I LOVED this book. I'm so glad I picked it back up and finished it. The voice of the narrator is real and funny and never a misstep on the part of the author. Will be a very hard decision for the real Newbery committee to decide this year!

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  6. One of the best books I've read in a while. it's really cool how the girl reveals a little bit of the story at a time...it's like she's drawing a face-outline first.
    -Bridget

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  7. This book was a little too intense for me, though it would be a good book to teach kids about Asperger's Syndrome.

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  8. Mockingbird won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature! See here: http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2010.html

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