Book #122: Mockingbird

Title: Mockingbird
Author: Kathryn Erskine

Mockingbird received the 2010 National Book Award for "Young People's Literature" and after the awards and finalists were announced, I decided to read a few. Mockinbird is the story of Caitlin, a ten-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome whose family was torn apart when her brother was killed in a school shooting. As Caitlin and her father try to put their lives back together, Caitlin as comes to terms with the ways that her condition makes it difficult for her to make friends, find closure from her brother's death, and feel empathy.

I really loved some things about Mockingbird. I think Erskine does a fantastic job capturing Caitlin's character, and writing realistically about life for a kid with Asperger's. I have a child who has social difficulties, and I recognized some of his struggles in Caitlin. I also like the straightforward way that Erskine writes; it's clear from the beginning that Caitlin and her father need closure and that Caitlin needs both friends and empathy, and all of the action in the novel seems geared toward achieving those things. The main downside for me was that the narrator had a very strong accent that reminded me of my relatives from Pittsburgh, and with Caitlin hailing from Virginia, that was something that didn't fit that really bugged me.