Saturday 28 January 2012

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (Children's, 10 years +)

1st January 2012, Usborne
224 pages, Paperback
Review copy

Themes: being different, Aspergers, aftermath of a shooting, grief, mourning, understanding emotions, making friends, learning new skills, closure, some humour, lots of humour needed. 

Summary from Usborne
10-year-old Caitlin has Asperger’s syndrome, and has always had her older brother, Devon, to explain the confusing things around her. But when Devon is killed in a tragic school shooting, Caitlin has to try and make sense of the world without him. With her dad spending most of his time crying in the shower, and her life at school becoming increasingly difficult, it doesn’t seem like things will ever get better again.

Nayuleska's thoughts
Life through Caitlin's eyes is enlightening because it made me realise just how complex being a human is. I take undersranding and judging how people feel for granted, and now I appreciate how hard life is for others like Caitlin. This emotional read gets a well deserved 10/10. 

Check out Kathryn's website for information about herself and Caitlin.

Suggested read
Another girl struggling with grief is Kate in Sweet Hearts: Forget-Me-Not by Jo Cotterill. Hers is one of my favourites when it comes to stories about grief. Caitlin's story is matching Kate's on the level of awesomeness.

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