Mockingbird

In the wake of the 2007 tragedy at Virginia Tech, Virginia native Kathryn Erskine was left wondering how things like this happen, and how our lives would be different if we understood people better. She sets the fictional Mockingbird in the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a small-town middle school. Fifth-grader Caitlin's brother was one of the children killed, and Caitlin's father is struggling. But Caitlin has Asperger's so she has trouble understanding emotions and has to Work At It to figure out how to find closure for her father and herself, learning to make friends and feel empathy in the process.


Although this is a short book, 232 pages, it took me a long time to read because it was so heartbreaking. Very moving, and stays with you long after you put the book down. Well-deserved winner of the 2010 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.