Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erksine, is a deep and moving poetic book that shows Caitlin, a girl with Asperger’s whose brother is killed in a school shooting. Ever since the incident, the world has become shades of gray. It is her story of coping with her loss and dealing with the struggles of the world. A heartfelt piece, it is an approachable yet touching story about loss. The main character is a fifth grader, making the language approachable. There is a stylistic choice of having dialogue “appear” into the book by being italicized too. The book only suffers from being uniquely the perspective of the main character, which gives it a limited scope in narrating the story and showing how the other characters feel. However, this also is the personal journey of Caitlin through this world full of grief, and beautifully illustrates it. This is a moderately short and simple read for young tweens who are looking to broaden their understanding of developmental disorders and representation and is a touching look onto grief at a young age.