“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.