Mockingbird

I knew that reading young adult literature (for a class, no less!) this summer would be heavenly.  These are the books I usually go for.  And I have a confession:  some of my favorites are the books that Beverly Clearly wrote for teens, like Fifteen, The Luckiest Girl, and Jean and Johnny.  They have to have the original cover art, like the editions from the 1950's.

Bevery Cleary's young adult books address girls coming of age in the 1950's, when their teen angst is built upon the concern that one doesn't have a cashmere sweater like popular girl, Marcy.  Or should our protagonist be outrageously bold and ask a boy she likes to go to the dance with her?  Is her puffed sleeve dress with flared skirt too babyish?  Why won't her mother let her buy a dress with a sleek straight skirt?  Why can't their family have avocados on their green salad at dinner (because they are expensive)?  These books are light and fun, but you still feel the discomfort of unrequited love and the irrational and constant embarrassment that teens often experience.

Like much young adult literature these days, Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is not about cashmere, puffed sleeves, dances and avocados.  

It deals with some hard stuff, like an 11 year old Asperger's girl coping with her brother's death by a school shooting.  It can be oh, so heartbreaking to experience Caitlin's and her father's grief.  The author expertly addresses a sensitive topic through the eyes of a special needs child.  

The complex characters are beautifully conveyed.  I especially loved Caitlin's counselor, Mrs. Brook.  She is lovely, patient, kind, completely understanding, and an advocate for the kids.  Every kid should have a Mrs. Brook in their lives.

The novel can be hilarious at times.  The forthright way Caitlin views people and her surroundings adds the much needed levity to the book.  As does her literal interpretation of other's words. One of the things Caitlin's counselor is helping her with is learning to interact appropriately with others and to avoid saying things like this to an older person whom she is meeting for the first time:

"I don't think you're disgusting just because you have hair sticking out of your ear." - Catilin, pg. 135

This novel makes you really feel things.  I choked back the tears and felt my chest grow crushingly tight when Caitlin realizes what she must do to find the "closure" everyone tells her she must find. When I feel a book as deeply as I felt Mockingbird, I know that the author is expert at her craft.

It is an exquisite book.  At the very least, it brings much greater understanding to those experiencing Asperger's syndrome.  At the most, it weaves a strong tale of grief, coping, love, unlikely friendships, acceptance, and the importance of really understanding each other.  

As well as hope.

I think that maybe now is the day when we start putting our life back together.  - Caitlin, pg. 167

This would be a fantastic book for a student coping with loss.  Or for someone who may need to understand those with special needs - which is nearly everyone.

There is a lot that could be done in the classroom as it pertains to Asperger's, Autism spectrum, school shootings, communication, etc. 

Since this novel was inspired by the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, news articles regarding Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook could be examined and students could share what they have learned with each other in small groups using the Jigsaw teaching strategy.  Students could journal about these tragedies, addressing specific questions that motivate deeper thinking.  This might be an appropriate activity for an 8th grade class due to the subject matter.

An activity that could possibly be used in a 7th grade classroom would be to align the book with To Kill a Mockingbird movie, addressing parallel themes.  

As a post script, I was just talking to my husband about this book who says that the term "Asperger's Syndrome" is no longer used in the medical community.  Doctors now refer to it as an Autism Spectrum disorder.