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“Powerful, emotional, and autism awareness.”
Reading age
10+
Genre
Realistic fiction
Publisher
Puffin Books
Publication date
February 3, 2011
My brief summary of the book
Caitlin’s brother Devon had just died in a school shooting. Caitlin (Who is on the Autism spectrum) is in pieces and has no friends. Soon, Caitlin discovers that she needs to find closure to feel better. Along the way, Caitlin makes friends with a first grader named Michael. With her wit and stubbornness, Caitlin will cope and do unexpected things.
My thoughts
The book was very emotional. Caitlin’s brother, who helped her through life, was killed in a school shooting. The book talked a lot about dealing with grief and how to find emotional closure when you need it most.
The author wrote the story from Caitlin’s perspective, a 5th grader with Aspergers. It gives you powerful insight into how she is thinking.
I can relate to this book on a personal note as I have Asperger Syndrome too. I could understand what she was thinking; I cried a lot in my head, but I laughed too.
This book was a quick read and could be eye-opening about Autistic people.
My rating
About the author
“Kathryn Erskine spent many years as a lawyer before realizing that she’d rather write things that people might actually enjoy reading. She grew up mostly overseas and attended eight different schools, her favorite being the Hogwarts-type castle in Scotland. The faculty, of course, did not consist of wizards, although . . . how did the headmistress know that it was “the wee redhead” who led the campaign to free the mice from the biology lab? Erskine draws on her childhood–and her second childhood through her children–for her stories. She still loves to travel but nowadays most trips tend to be local, such as basketball and tennis courts, occasional emergency room visits, and the natural food store for very healthy organic chocolate with “life saving” flavonoids.” – Book Depository.
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