Mockingbird

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

If I could only get through these last several Caudill nominees for 2014, I might feel home free. Instead, I am actually rather bored. It feels as though the books have been chosen, not for their merit as well-written novels, but more for their topics. Topics hand-picked to let the children experience life through someone who has it more difficult than the average American 4^th-8^th grader, whether the protagonist is foreign or disabled.

Mockingbird belongs to the second kind of protagonist, disabled. Caitlin is a ten-year-old girl with Asperger’s Syndrome. That would make for an interesting book in and of itself. It would join the ranks of the many others that currently line our shelves. It is a trendy topic and with good reason considering the rising numbers in the Autism Spectrum. But although Asperger’s is important to the book as a whole, it is not actually the main focus.

The book was written in response to the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007. 33 people were shot in the author’s “own backyard” according to the Author’s Note. The author believes that if we could understand each other better, it would go a long way towards ending the violence. The book would explain what it is like for a child with Asperger’s to cope with tragedy when they do not show or see feelings the way other children and even adults do.

Caitlin’s mother died when she was very young, perhaps a baby. She has been raised by both her father and her older brother Devon. Devon was instrumental in her upbringing. As a child himself, he was able to impart to Caitlin, the behaviors that were considered normal so she could fit into her environment better. But now, Devon’s gone. There was a shooter at his junior high. A teacher and two students lost their lives. Devon was one of them.

Caitlin’s father is lost and depressed and unable to care for Caitlin in the manner that Devon did. In fact, Caitlin’s dad does more harm than good. In his own sorrow, he covers up everything that reminds him of Devon. He goes so far as to shut the door to Devon’s bedroom preventing Caitlin from entering. And Caitlin desperately needs Devon in any form/manner she can find him. She understands “dead”, but when asked what she wants, she can only answer with the truth. She wants to spend time with her brother. Her answers are too complicated for anyone else to understand.

Caitlin, on her own, was both intriguing and enlightening. I began to understand how she operated. I certainly felt for those around her and cringed when she was doing something that wouldn’t be accepted as normal. But the book was WAY too heavy. When I first realized that there had been a school shooting in the book, I shook my head. Too much. Too many bad things and not enough good. Caitlin’s own healing would have been sufficient. Instead, Caitlin had to somehow heal the mourning community. And it was simply too much.

An educational book, certainly. Not anything I would recommend for pleasure – or summer reading.

The Running Dream

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Effortless. That is the word that keeps coming up in my head when I think about this 2014 Rebecca Caudill Nominee. It was effortless to read. I remember when I finished it, I thought, “she pulled that off effortlessly.” She would doubtless disagree. It was probably work to make it seem so effortless. She is a seasoned professional who loves her job, I am sure. But I fell right into the story and nothing shook me out.

It is also notable that I finished reading this novel the day after the Boston Marathon bombing. I was listening to the news in the background and it was poignant. I was moved. I was filled with a sense of hope. I wanted to share this book.

Sixteen-year-old Jessica is a track star. She runs the 400m. She runs. A. LOT. every morning, in fact, with her dog Sherlock. Her running is effortless. She loves it. She cannot imagine NOT running. Something that I don’t entirely get myself most of the time. Sleeping always wins. But this book reminds me of what is good when running. Thinking. Hard. And working through the difficulties. It certainly burns the clutter away.

Jessica has just set a personal record at a track meet before the book opens. On the track team’s ride home, their bus is t-boned. One classmate loses her life. Jessica loses her leg. When the book opens she is just realizing what has happened and what it will mean. She is a runner who cannot run. It would be like me losing my sight and not being able to read. But there is always a way. Jessica must learn to accept her new reality and decide how much she is going to let her lack of limb slow her down.

The good news is that Jessica is an athlete in excellent physical condition. She has the ability to recover quickly – record time in fact. She will be ready for a prosthesis in a matter of weeks rather than months as long as she follows the doctors’ instructions. But although Jessica’s body is prepared to meet the challenge, Jessica’s mind is battling depression. In the beginning, she even believes that her classmate, who lost her life, received the better deal. Jessica suffers from the Running Dream. While she sleeps she can maintain her past. Waking up is a jarring crash with reality.

In the end, what helps Jessica the most is an enthusiastic best friend, a demanding track coach, a supportive track team, a new friend in an unexpected place and a boy who is drawn to Jessica’s strength. Jessica’s best friend, Fiona, instinctively knows just when and just how much Jessica needs to be pushed, pulled or prodded to get back into the rhythm of life. She takes her out to eat for the first time after returning home. She arranges the back to school party. She organizes and arranges a system to help Jessica catch up on her school work including bargaining with the teachers. She’s an amazing friend and I would have a hard time believing in her, if I didn’t know at least one person just like her.

Jessica’s track coach is the person who discovers that there is such a thing as a running prosthetic leg called a blade. There is absolutely no reason why Jessica can’t run again if she is determined. The only thing standing in the way is $20,000. And Coach and Fiona rally the Track Troops to begin fundraising in the hope that Jessica will run again! It isn’t long until the entire community is involved.

Perhaps my favorite storyline involves a freshman named Rosa. Rosa is brilliant at math and is in the same math class as sophomore Jessica. Rosa has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. She is forced to sit at a table at the back of the class. When Jessica returns to school, she starts off in a wheelchair and is required to sit alongside Rosa. A quiet friendship begins through notes passed during class. Jessica struggles with math and Rosa offers to coach her. Their friendship becomes something more. The ending of the book revolves around Jessica’s determination to give something special back to her new friend.

The ending of this book was so full of hope. It was so uplifting. I recommend it to girls 5^th grade and up. Adults can learn a lot from it as well. Boys will have to steer clear. Much too girly.