Mockingbird - Likewise Book Reviews

"Mockingbird ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book was beautifully written. Very touching and emotional. Gave you an inside view of a child with Asperger's that lost her brother to a school shooting. It was a beautiful journey inside her mind of how troubling it was to have autism. She truly saw the world in a different but beautiful way. She learned things like empathy and closure through her journey. I loved how she cared so much about others even when she was troubled herself. Anyone could be proud to have Caitlin as a daughter ❤️"

"This book was so good! I finished it in one day. The first book in the series was okay, but this one is one of my new favorites. I can't wait to read the next one!"

"This book made me sad. I don’t like things that involve with school shootings."

"This was an incredible book. It's one of those books that wasn't "fun", and I don't know if I'll read it again -- it was quite sad. However, it is so, so, enlightening. I honestly think everyone should read it. The ending was inspiring -- I almost teared up, which is quite the feat for such a small book that wasn't really geared toward readers of my age."

"The print was too big in my opinion, but great story"

"pudo ser mucho mejor, ver a lance fue entretenido, pero esperaba más. o sea, es bobbi!"

"This book is amazing. I really enjoyed reading this book, and it gives you an example of what kids with autism go through. ❤️"

"It helped me understand my autistic son a lil better. Helps people understand what autistic kids deal with. Great read"

"I loved to book some much it made me cry every time I read it"

"Good book ... was going to read it with my 4th grade high level reading class but, the subject matter would be hard for them to grasp at this time ... maybe at the end of the year."

"At first glance of Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, the plastic covered dust jacket on the hardcover version of the book is nowhere near appealing. Light blue with clouds and a child-like font for the title, the reader will have no hints toward what the story is about. Fortunately, there is a paperback version with a more appealing picture. I was especially interested in Mockingbird because it’s told from Caitlin’s perspective, a young girl with Asperger’s syndrome. The story being told by Caitlin helps give the reader insight into her thought processes and actions and helps make her a believable character. I found myself in tears at numerous points in the book because of how extraordinarily touching it is. Mockingbird touches upon heavy duty topics. Caitlin has Asperger’s syndrome; her mother died when she was young and her father has remained single; her brother is killed in a school shooting; her brother has an incomplete project remaining in the living room that would have earned him Eagle Scout; her family and community are mourning the recent death; and Caitlin has taken it upon herself to bring her community to closure. Sadly, I think there are too many issues that the story brings up and could have done much better had it picked only a couple of elements to focus on. I think that the discussion of the school shooting is done beautifully since the focus is on the impact rather than the actual event. It wasn’t until far into the book that I realized that the school shooting happened in a middle school, and that Caitlin’s brother is younger than I originally assumed, and I feel like it was too much of a stretch for a children’s novel. Some may feel that this book is not an authentic view of a child with Asperger’s or that the author should not have written this book because she doesn’t have Asperger’s herself. Her credentials toward this subject are not addressed in the description of the author. However, I feel like the author did a great job seeming authentic, especially considering that the reader must understand that you cannot expect one child to be the voice for an entire group. There are a few other flaws with the book. Letters are randomly capitalized and it can take a while for the reader to understand why. Dialogue is done through italics, most of the time without any prompting of who is speaking, which would make this story difficult to read aloud. This book is intended for ages 10 and up, and while I would want all children to read and love it, I don’t know if would appeal to a wide audience. Children that this book would be great for likely have a friend, classmate, or family member that is affected by Asperger’s syndrome. I think I appreciated this book so much because I’m interested in working with children and it was a great reminder to look at things from their point of view."