Mockingbird — Kathryn Erskine

In Caitlin's world, everything is black and white. Anything in between is confusing. That's the stuff her brother, Devon, always explained. But now Devon is dead, and her father cries a lot. She wants to help her dad -- and herself--- but as a ten-year-old girl with Asperger's syndrome, she doesn't know how.

She turns to textbooks and dictionaries, easy for Caitlin because they're full of facts in black and white. After reading the definition of Closure, Caitlin knows this just what she and her father need. And she is determined to find it. In her search, she discovers that not everything is really black and white -- the world is full of colors, messy and beautiful. And perhaps if she "Works At It," Caitlin and her father can have Closure and Empathy, too.

A warm and loving book that give young readers a rare glimpse of a very special world and a brave and very special girl.