When I was in 6th grade Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and 1 teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. I can specifically remember watching the TV in school that day in Mrs. Hamud's 6th grade class. I don't know why we were allowed to watch it. It was on in the background but I can vividly remember watching it. I remember going home that day and watching the coverage at home and seeing the students running from the school. I remember seeing the SWAT guys. And I remember the ongoing coverage after the shooting, the Trenchcoat Mafia, the fact that they listened to Marilyn Manson, and how violence in music and the media might have caused them to do this horrible thing. Mockingbird is the story of an autistic girl who loses her brother to a school shooting. She's trying to navigate her life as an autistic person who doesn't like change and has trouble with seeing emotions in others when a beloved family member is taken from her. Although her brother's death is devastating, it allows Caitlin to progress as a person. Her search for closure ends up bringing her more than just closure but the ability to recognize emotions and empathy for others.
