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You know with a cat named SCOUT that TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is a favorite of mine. The movie version was a favorite of Caitlyn and her brother until a school shooting ended his young life. Caitlyn, nicknamed Scout by her brother is a high functioning autistic child. Her brother's death, though, is sometimes too much for her. Her father seems to be so involved with his own grief that her routine is not always followed. The other kids in her class feel sorry for her but are still critical of her behavior which they term weird. Thankfully, the school counselor takes Caitlyn in hand. She encourages Caitlyn to try to understand and empathize with others. As Caitlyn makes new connections to new people, she searches for closure. How she that closure is at the heart of this novel. Caitlyn is the narrator and we see things through her eyes; we feel her frustrations and experience her meltdowns firsthand. We also feel her triumphs, however small and incomplete. In language that is simple and yet hauntingly so, Erskine has created a story that transcends the "typical" book about loss. Even minor characters are given loving attention in this story, one that would be perfect for reading aloud for intermediate grades.