Mockingbird

Description

A heart-warming story of loss and recovery that won the American National Book Award 2010 - one of the most moving books you'll ever read.10+ American National Book Award WinnerCaitlin misses her brother every day.Since his death in a school shooting, she has no one to explain the world to her. And for Caitlin, the world is a confusing place. She hates it when colours get mixed up, prefers everything to be black-and-white, and needs to check her Facial Expressions Chart to understand emotions.So when Caitlin reads the definition of "closure", she decides that's what she needs. And as she struggles to find it, a world of colour begins to enter her black-and-white life...'A lovely, perceptive and poignant story' Sharon Creech, Newbery Medal-winning author'An exceptionally moving story' The Irish Examiner

As a resident of Virginia, Kathryn Erskine was devastated by the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Kathryn was driven to understand how community and family - particularly families with special-needs children - dealt with this violent event, and how our lives might be different if we understood each other better. In writing Mockingbird and telling the story of Caitlin, a young girl with Asperger's syndrome, she walked into the fragile world herself, and like Caitlin, offers us something "good and strong and beautiful". Kathryn was a lawyer for fifteen years before turning to her first love: writing. She lives in Virginia, USA, with her husband, two children, and her dog, Maxine. Author location: Virginia, USA

Asperger's syndrome and high school shootings suggest a gruelling read but Erskine tackles such subjects with sensitivity and great insight. * The Bookseller * ...unlike anything I've ever read before. [Mockingbird] is a moving story of dealing with the loss of a loved one and the slow journey to recovery...Read it and see what I mean. It's extraordinary. * NATE Classroom magazine * A fantastic and sometimes heart wrenching book that I would certainly recommend. * Stepping Out of the Page blog * A heart warming novel... Caitlin's journey to make friends and learn how to understand other people was so moving... I will definitely be looking out for more from Kathryn Erskine. * Bookbabblers * A lovely, perceptive and poignant story. * Sharon Creech, Newbery Medal winning author *