Caitlin sees the world very differently.  Everything must be black or white. Colours confuse her. Her only friends are her Television, computer and dictionary.  The school councillor is trying to help her understand feelings and how to make friends.

Caitlin has Asperger's Syndrome.  She is ten-years-old.

This book touches you to the very core. The characterization is so intense; you will laugh, cry, and experience every manner of frustration that Caitlin undergoes.

In the midst of her confusion, Caitlin must find closure after the loss of her brother.   She not only wants it for herself, but also for her father, for Michael and for the whole community.

Centred around the shootings at the Virginia Tech University in 2007, Kathryn Eskine wrote this book with the hope that we would better understand each other. She says in her Author's note that "Ignore and ignorance share the same root".

Mockingbird has just won the 2011 National Book Award for Young Fiction. I give it a standing ovation.

flickr image by TexasEagle