MOCKINGBIRD by Kathryn D. Erskine
Category:	Young Adult/Teen	Publisher:	PublishAmerica	ISBN-10:	141370364X	Type:
Pages:	200	Copyright:	2004	ISBN-13:	9781413703641	Fiction

A girl with Asperger's syndrome struggles to understand emotions, show empathy, and make friends at school, while dealing with the recent death of her brother. Buy your copy! Amazon Barnes & Noble.com Kathryn Erskine In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead, and her father cries a lot. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of “closure” in the dictionary, she realizes that is what she and her father need. In her search for Closure, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white--the world is full of colors--messy and beautiful, and it is through this discovery that she embarks on a road which leads her to find both healing and Closure.

Paperback

Amazon Reviewer
This is a story that will appeal to the young adult reader's social conscience while educating them about aparteid in South Africa and the civil rights movement. A coming of age story with a young man rising to every occaision presented to him with courage and grace. His success is very appealing to adolescent readers, while as a mother of adolescents I find it very refreshing that the courage of the young hero goes beyond the ability to resist the popular crowd, a frequent theme in young adult fiction. I look foreward to more from this inspiring author.

Amazon Reviewer
Wow, what a fabulous journey! Ibhubesi is a tale of an adolescent diplomat's son, John, on the verge of manhood in South Africa while it is under apartheid rule. John learns about the evils of apartheid through the eyes of an educated servant and then through some shocking events he himself witnesses. This book is an exciting read and a wonderful social consciousness raiser. It is perfect for kids in middle school and above, and is really a must-read for adults as well. The characters are memorable, and some of the scenes, like the one with the dog, are gripping and absolutely unforgettable.

Amazon Reviewer
This coming of age book focuses on a young American boy who faces anger and pain at home and in the outside world. Set in South Africa during the days of apartheid, it's a gripping tale of a boy's journey to manhood. The book has excitement enough to engage a young reader, yet it tells a story that will make the reader think about love, justice and hope. I recommend it for any mature young reader, and as a discussion book for families to read together.