Roosevelt Elementary held its first Scholastic book fair for 2011, on Friday April 29th, and on Monday May 2nd to Wednesday May 4th. Students and parents were able to choose from a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction books, ranging from Pre-K to Grade 5.
One book which stood out in the lot for me was Mockingbird, a National Book Award Winner, written by Kathryn Erskine. The shootings of thirty-three people at Virginia Tech University in April 2007 and coping with the loss of loved ones are the two main source of inspiration for Erskine when writing this book. Erskine chooses to tell the story of the grief and loss experienced through the eyes of a child with Asperger’s syndrome.
The main character, an eleven year old girl named Caitlin, has Asperger’s syndrome and learns to cope with the loss of her brother, Devon, who was one of the victims in the shooting. Though the characters are fictional, the shooting incident is real and Erskine successfully merged both to teach children effective ways to manage their pain.
Caitlin has the ability to retain words and their meanings. She used words to adequately describe and to temper her feelings. She stumbled upon the word CLOSURE, and set out on a quest to understand and achieve it. The quest was not an easy one, but in the end it was a successful one. The journey to achieve her closure was enlightening, as the reader sees Caitlin’s growth as she learns to appreciate life and the beauty of it. The word CLOSURE is not one easily understood by many children, and Erskine masterly broke down the word by truly making it an action word! The reader is taken along a path of what it really means to have closure and how to attain it!
Mockingbird also paints a vivid image of what it’s like to live with Asperger’s syndrome. Even though the book is an easy-reader for kids, and it helps kids to expand their vocabulary; it is also a complex read because it delves into the world of Asperger’s syndrome. People suffering with this disease are often misunderstood because they have difficulty expressing themselves, and therefore need to be taught behavioral skills repeatedly. Erskine successfully tackled some of these misunderstandings and preconceived notions.
This is indeed an excellent find to add to your book collection!
Happy Reading!
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