By Kathryn Erskine
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grades 5-6
Good Reads: 4.20/5
Common Sense Media: 4.5/5, ages 10+
4Rbooks: 4/6, grades 5-8
232 pages
Synopsis:
A tragedy occurred at the local middle school and now Caitlin and her dad are trying to navigate life without Devon, Caitlin’s brother. This is especially difficult for Caitlin because she has Asperger’s. This makes handling emotions challenging, whether they be her own, her dad’s, or those of the grieving community around her.
Caitlin is very bright (she loves books and her dictionary) and is an amazing artist, but she only uses black and white. Colors are difficult for her. They merge and bleed into each other and make new colors. This is difficult for Caitlin to understand. She sees things as they are. She knows she needs empathy and finesse, but using those skills in everyday relationships doesn’t come easy.
Eventually Caitlin realizes that she and her dad need “closure,” but what is that and how do you find it? With the help of Mrs. Brooks, the school counselor, her dad, and a new school friend Michael, Caitlin brings her dad, and the entire community together.
Parental Guidance: medium
There are many manifestations of Caitlin’s Asperger’s (shaking hands,
screaming, finding hidey-holes, bluntness) that may be challenging for young
students to comprehend.
Caitlin’s brother was killed in a school shooting. There is a brief description
of the condition of his body after the shooting.
The other children in Caitlin’s class don’t understand her condition and
aren’t always nice to her. There is ostracization and name calling.
Recommendation:
Because of the mature subject matter, and that most of the first half of the book is inner dialogues of Caitlin with herself, or conversations between Caitlin and Mrs. Brooks, this could be a difficult book for all but the most advanced and mature elementary students to read. Parent guidance and/or teacher supervision would be recommended. Middle school students should be able to deal with the subject and style, if it’s something they would be interested in. I think the core audience for this book is limited.
In the author’s notes after the story she shares that this book was written after the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 with the hopes of promoting early intervention to help people who are struggling and for everyone to be more understanding of those who are different.
Friend and former student Starlynne recommended this book to me. Thanks!!
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