Mockingbird is about a 5th grade girl whose brother died in a school shooting. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is difficult for any child, but Caitlin also a has Asperger's Syndrome. She understands that her brother, Devon, is gone but she does not understand the emotional aspect of it. People whom she rarely saw when Devon was alive are crying at his funeral.
If that tragedy was not bad enough, she is also at the age when students start to become more judgmental and cliquey, especially the girls. Other students in her class this that she is weird and avoid interacting with her. At the same time she really doesn't want to interact with them either.
With Devon gone, Caitlin only has her father to depend on. Devon was her sole companion and the person that she depended on the most and her father is too distraught with grief to notice that she needs him. He falls apart anytime Devon or the tragedy is mentioned.
With the help of her school counselor, Caitlin begins to make friends and tries to come to terms with Devon's death. Her budding friendship and need to find closure, she also helps her father. Her bluntness is endearing in a way because is forces her father to realize that he needs to there for Caitlin.
I loved that the author wrote this book from Caitlin's perspective. I have known and worked with students with Asperger's but I really never understood how they felt or perceived the world. While reading the book I was Caitlin saw the world through her eyes. Everything that people thought was weird about her was just how she coped with her environment.
I think this is a great book to read as a whole class at the beginning of the year. Most schools prefer that you spend the first two weeks or more of school focusing on rules and procedures and this would be a great multicultural community building book. Through Caitlin's experiences the students could see that just because someone is different from you in any way does not mean that they should not be valued. Caitlin's classmates learned that she was a great artist.
It is a wonderful idea to begin the school year with a community building piece of literature! I wonder if this book might be an interesting pairing with Al Capone Does My Shirts, which has a sister with Asperger's as well.
ReplyDeleteI read that book a few years ago and will be reading it again this summer.I thought the same thing.
DeleteSounds good and sounds like it will make me cry. Reading about a character with Asperger's Syndrome sounds interesting. Great idea to start the school year off with a multicultural community building block. I think students need to be exposed to books that promote acceptance and understanding.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you used the word "closure", I forgot about that in my blog. I also liked the way the author chose to show the reader a view of Asperger's first hand.
ReplyDelete