Kathryn Erskine, Author
5/17/10 Beautiful review of Mockingbird at Jama Rattigan’s blog. (If you haven’t visited this site before, please do -- it’s a work of art!)
5/15/10 BookBrowse gives MOCKINGBIRD 2 thumps up!
5/12/10 INTERVIEW on TeensReadToo!
5/10/10 MOCKINGBIRD receives a lovely review in WASHINGTON PARENT magazine
5/3/10 MOCKINGBIRD is a Top Ten book on the Summer 2010 Kids Indie Next List (top picks from independent bookstores)!
5/2/10 Interview with Joelle Anthony,
RESTORING HARMONY on my blog!
5/1/10 Happy May Day! Read about MOCKINGBIRD in BOOKPAGE Magazine!
4/22/10 This is so impressive: here’s a 4th grader who has read ALL the Newbery winners! She also wrote a very nice review of MOCKINGBIRD. :o) Thanks, Laura!
4/21/10 Lovely blog post about the LA Times article that mentions MOCKINGBIRD
4/20/10 Interview in Publishers Weekly!
4/19/10 Teen review of MOCKINGBIRD
4/15/10 MOCKINGBIRD Release Day!
Here are some blog appearances to celebrate:
4/12/10 - Interview on Slushbusters Blog!
4/5/10 Penguin is graciously featuring me as “Author of the Month” for April!
MOCKINGBIRD is an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominee!
Reviews!
Kirkus (starred): As readers celebrate this milestone with Caitlin, they realize that they too have been developing empathy by walking a while in her shoes, experiencing the distinctive way that she sees and interacts with the world. Erskine draws directly and indirectly on To Kill a Mockingbird and riffs on its central theme: The destruction of an innocent is perhaps both the deepest kind of psychosocial wound a community can face and its greatest opportunity for psychological and spiritual growth.
Publishers Weekly (starred):
Erskine (Quaking)
works in powerful imagery throughout—
Devon’s unfinished Eagle Scout project
was a wooden chest, and for Caitlin, it’s
entwined with the irreparable bullet
wound in Devon’s chest. Although an author’s
note links the novel with the 2007
tragedy at Virginia Tech, this novel is not
about violence as much as about the ways
in which a wounded community heals.
Booklist: Allusions to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the portrayal of a whole community’s healing process, and the sharp insights into Caitlyn’s behavior enhance this fine addition to the recent group of books with autistic narrators.
4/1/10
Check out Alison Hart on research, the key to great writing, on my blog. Also, win a copy of EMMA’S RIVER!
3/30/10
FUN NEW FEATURE - Click on Writing Prompt, above.
3/26/10
Gosh, this blog post is so beautiful it made me cry!
3/25/10
Here’s a lovely blog post & interview about MOCKINGBIRD! Thank you, Kathleen!
Interview with Fran Cannon Slayton, author of WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
3/8/10
Loree Griffin Burns interview on my blog: THE HIVE DETECTIVES - don’t miss it!
2/28/10
Holly Schindler interview on my blog!
2/18/10
QUAKING is out in paperback today!
2/10/10
Check out my interview on MOCKINGBIRD at Holly Schindler’s blog--thanks, Holly!
2/5/10
Nice review of MOCKINGBIRD from Booklist
“Allusions to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the portrayal of a whole community’s healing process, and the sharp insights into Caitlyn’s behavior enhance this fine addition to the recent group of books with autistic narrators.”
2/2/10 -- Groundhog Day!
Interview with Jen Wardrip of TeensReadToo -- check it out!
1/21/10
Interview with Hilary Hyland (THE WRECK OF THE ETHIE)--great dog story!!
1/18/10
Interview with Amy Brecount White (FORGET-HER-NOTS, Greenwillow 2010)!
1/15/10
Here’s an interview with yours truly and the Charlotte, NC library. Thanks, Angela!
1/8/10
VIDEO Interview of Crissa-Jean Chappell!
My interview on Madelyn Rosenberg’s cool BLOG -- Thanks, Madelyn!
NEWS!!
MOCKINGBIRD
(Philomel, April 2010)
QUAKING
(Philomel 2007)
IBHUBESI: THE LION
(PublishAmerica 2004)
8/30/10 What a lovely review. :o)
Note: Remember to click “My Blog” above to see what I’m reading, where I’m going, etc.
8/27/10 Tomorrow! Signing at Over the Moon in Crozet, VA, 7 pm. Hope to see you!
8/26/10 A Year of Reading reviews from “Two Teachers who Read. A lot.” :o)
8/25/10 Thanks, Joan Broerman, for this lovely review! Check out Joan’s “BOOK LOG” blog of kids’ books!
8/17/10 Signing at Square Books in Oxford, MS, 4:30 today!
8/16/10 Signing at Lemuria in Jackson, MS @ 5 pm -- come on down!
8/15/10 Check out the Great Scavenger Hunt -- look up MOCKINGBIRD and your other favorite books, tell your librarian, answer the quiz questions, and have a chance at winning prizes!
8/14/10 Please check my blog for tour updates -- tomorrow I’ll post about my amazing visit to Monroeville!
8/11/10 Had the most wonderful time with the Bookworm Bunch last night! Thanks so much for having me, ladies -- Homewood is a great place (and we have the T-shirts to prove it!).
8/10/10 Signing at Little Professor, Homewood, AL, Tues., 8/10, 4 - 6 pm.
8/9/10 From Birmingham, AL:
Going to see the Vulcan Statue tonite
8/7/10 From Atlanta, GA: (I think the weather is cooler here than in Virginia.) Book signing at Little Shop of Stories tomorrow (8/8), 3 pm!
Also: Thanks to Booklady for a super review of MOCKINGBIRD!
And to the Charlotte Observer for including MOCKINGBIRD in a list of important back to school supplies!
8/5/10 MOCKINGBIRD TOUR BEGINS
Please check MY BLOG or Facebook or Twitter to track my road trip! Ten bookstores, many schools, in 2 weeks. Woo hoo!
8/3/10 Review by Emily at Lemuria: “[T]his book was one of the most poignant middle grade novels I have read in a while and I think that people of every age could benefit from a reading of Mockingbird.
Thanks, Emily!
8/1/10 See more of the tour!
7/31/10 Thanks for this lovely review from The Literary Wife: “I would definitely recommend this book to child and adult alike, it was so well written and such an amazing story.”
7/30/10 Talkin’ about the passion...
MOCKINGBIRD Tour to Monroeville, AL
7/29/10 Review from the Reading Nook, Life of a Teen Librarian: “This book should be a must read for any middle school or high school student.”
7/28/10 Check out my blog for tour info!
7/28/10 MOCKINGBIRD review (from a teacher!) -- thanks, Jessica!
It's a heavy subject (actually, two heavy subjects) for a children's book, but it is written so well and is so compelling that I think any age group would get something out of this story.
7/27/10 Local Signing: Over the Moon
Crozet, VA - Sat., Aug. 28, @ 7 pm!
7/27/10 Please see my blog for TOUR details!
MOCKINGBIRD TOUR: August 7 - 20!
7/26/10 Thanks, Tina, for this lovely review: A beautiful, heartwarming story of pain, grief and ultimately healing........recommended to all readers!!
7/23/10 Win MOCKINGBIRD & goodies at McKenzie’s blog, The Book Owl, and read her interview! Thanks, McKenzie!
7/23/10 MOCKINGBIRD TOUR begins in 2 weeks!! See Events page for details.
7/21/10 Thanks Sullivan County, NY libraries for including MOCKINGBIRD in your mock Newbery Awards!
7/9/10 2010 marks the 75th anniversary of Penguin Books!
Hooray for Penguin!
Hooray for Books!
7/8/10 We love libraries! Do what you can to support them. Donate. Volunteer. Newburyport, MA library review:
“This book made me smile, laugh, and cry. I loved sharing every single minute of Caitlyn's incredible journey. And to our adult readers: forget that it is cataloged as a children's book and put it on the top of your list.”
7/1/10 The Book Owl Review
That's what stuck with me the most: we should give other people chances before we judge them. I recommend picking this up so that you can revisit what it really means to be kind and understanding of others, even in hard times.
6/30/10 LOVE this review from Abby the Librarian -- thank you, Abby!
“Caitlin's story is one that will definitely stick with me. I'm thinking kids will dig it, especially kids who dig books like Lauren Tarshis's Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree or Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn Dixie. You'll also want to make sure you have a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird (and the movie) around because they're mentioned in the book and would make a great pairing.”
6/28/10 Review from Not Acting My Age
“This is, by far, the best book I've read in 2010 so far and it is hardly an outlier ... Erskine is also the author of Quaking...”
Thanks, Paul!
6/26/10 ALA Signing was such fun -- thanks to all those who stopped by, especially you, Laura! :o)
6/24/10 - Bibliochic’s review of MOCKINGBIRD
“The book is beautifully written, moving, and packed with images that leave a lasting impression.”
6/23/10 - Small World Reads review
“As the reader, you are immediately there in Caitlin's world from the first sentence.” :o)
6/21/10 Happy 1st Day of Summer!
Review by Carol at Carol’s Corner, who took a break from packing -- thank you!
“Maybe the best novel I’ve read this year.”
6/19/10 Carrie’s YA Bookshelf review
“I can’t think of a book that captures the true spirit of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD more than Kathryn Erskine’s MOCKINGBIRD.”
Wow. Thank you, Carrie. That’s the highest praise I can think of.
6/18/10 Everyday Reading review
“Everything about this book works.”
6/17/10 Video Review of MOCKINGBIRD by a young reader - this is so cool!
6/15/10 Audrey Vernick interview on my blog: IS YOUR BUFFALO READY FOR KINDERGARTEN?
6/13/10 QUAKING was a May pick by ALAN, the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents! (Scroll down half a dozen reviews to find the one for QUAKING).
6/11/10 5 copies of MOCKINGBIRD in Auckland, New Zealand library system and they’re all checked out! Woo hoo!
NOTE: I’ll be signing at ALA in DC on Saturday, June 26th @ 4:30 pm. Please stop by the Penguin Booth!
6/9/10 Interview with Jacqueline Houtman on my blog.
6/6/10 BookHook Newsletter
Interested in a short newsletter for people who share books with kids? It has a variety of book reviews and kid friendly activities. For a free subscription, email thebookhook (at) gmail (dot) com.
6/2/10 Young Critics’ Club Favorites!
Thanks for picking MOCKINGBIRD, readers at Perrot Memorial Library, Old Greenwich, CT!
5/27/10 MOCKINGBIRD, VOYA: Lovely review & this recommendation:
A good choice for supplementary reading in a high school psychology class, Mockingbird will also appeal to book groups for middle and high schoolers; siblings and friends of young people with Asperger‘s and other developmental disorders; and middle school students who enjoy thoughtful characters and a good story.
5/19/10 MOCKINGBIRD is out as an audio book. You can even hear a sample of Caitlin’s voice!
