11 year old Caitlin has Asperger's. Her world is torn apart when her beloved brother is kille in a school schooting. Anxious and confused, caitline decides what she and her father need is 'closure'. But she needs to find it. This is an incredibly moving and heart-warming story of loss, self-discovery and recovery told from a completely different perspective and it's likely to be one of the most moving books you'll ever read.
Author Kathryn Erskine on Mockingbird: “Understanding breeds tolerance. And, whatever situation you're in, there's always hope." Kathryn has a family member with Asperger’s Syndrome so in writing Mockingbird she wanted to help people understand those on the autism spectrum. Kathryn says: “I wanted readers to really get inside her head and be able to see the world from her perspective. My hope was that they would realise that, actually, Caitlin's thought processes are very logical and in many ways make a lot of sense, despite not being socially acceptable. If that realisation translates into having more tolerance for what we might consider "odd" behaviour, that would be brilliant.”
Caitlin 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 "e;closure"e;, 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...
'Mockingbird is a lovely, perceptive and poignant story... Thank you for introducing me to this talented writer.' Sharon Creech, Newbery Medal Winner
'A stunning and tender portrayal of grief and recovery' - Reading for Sanity
'Esrkine’s moving and insightful masterpiece delivers a compelling message for all' - Publishers Weekly
Author
About Kathryn Erskine
Kathryn Erskine grew up country-hopping, living in the Netherlands, Israel, South Africa and Scotland before finally settling in Virginia, USA. After working as a lawyer for fifteen years, Kathryn realised that her real passion lay in writing. Mockingbird, her first novel to be published in the UK, won an American National Book Award in 2011.
