“Mockingbird” by Kathryn Erskine

This 2010 National Book winner is a fast read that echoes “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” to such a degree that it is difficult to avoid comparisons. Similar to the Haddon book, “Mockingbird” is a fiction novel narrated in the first person by a young girl with Asperger’s. The loss this time, however, is more profound and the emotional ups and downs within the story left me grabbing for hankies. It is not a dark book. Rather, it is a “laugh/cry” book where the unique observations of the main character make you giggle one minute, then go “ohhh” the next. In the afterward, the author explains that she was profoundly saddened by the VA Tech shootings. That event, and her challenges as the parent of a child with Asperger’s, led to this little gem of a novel. The resolution in the book is somewhat transparent and I knew by chapter 2 how it would end, but I was still swept away by the engaging narrative and delightful characters. This is not a plot-driven story, it is a tale of an internal journey – made even more obvious in the way dialog is represented, in italics rather than quotes. The text that matters the most is what goes on in the young girl’s head as she tries to make sense of that which none of us can make sense of. I deeply loved this book and immediately recommended it to others as soon as I had finished it. Grab it before the next round of awards on January 10^th. I strongly suspect we will see this one get a few more accolades.

“Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins

Whew. Blew through the second and third books in the “Hunger Games” series as quickly as possible. Became somewhat irate when I had to stop for -- you know -- work, or food or sleep. If nothing else, these books are incredible page turners. After finishing them, however, I had to pause before writing a review as the emotional toll was…um…high. As sequels, they are excellent. “Catching Fire,” in fact, became my favorite in the series. In the first book, you work to understand this world. In the third book, there is inevitable loss and sadness. In the second book we get to really see these characters as people and there is still hope. Many of my students have said that they do not like the concluding book, “Mockingjay.” The storyline and writing do not degrade in any way in this last book. I would say it is the way things end which causes the negative reaction by many of the younger readers. If “Hunger Games” was an arch look at the underlying violence of our world and “Catching Fire” is about a growing revolution, then “Mockingjay” is the very likely outcome. The body count, which has never been particularly light in these books, ramps up considerably, with some of the losses beyond bearing for both characters and readers alike. After a Harry Potter-like climactic end, one craves a happy ending. And the ending is not sad, but it’s not exactly uplifting, either. Unlike Harry Potter, these books have underpinnings in our modern world and Ms. Collins is focused on how our world dehumanizes us. The young people at the heart of the story cannot help but be damaged by the events that occur and expectations of a rosy outcome, while wished for, would not fit these otherwise dark tales. The books are sometimes predictable, which left me shell-shocked (literally) when things took a turn I *didn’t* expect. They are powerful without being epic, well-written without being overly literary, and a true clarion call to look at the elements of our society that shatter our humanity. Everything from the pablum of the media to the dark lashes of destruction from war are targets. Ms. Collins mentions her father’s study of war and peace and her mother’s love of Greek history in her acknowledgements, but in an interview, she talked of the impact of the ongoing middle east wars as evidence that we still have far to go. You only have to look at Iran’s proposal to televise the stoning death of an adultress to realize these books are not to be dismissed as “far-out fantasy.” Given their rampant popularity right now, they are absolute must-reads, but given the subject matter, a “fun book” might make for a good palate cleanser afterwards.