mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

The author wrote this book in reaction to two things - the shooting at Virginia Tech and her own experience as the mother of a child with Asperger's syndrome. Caitlin is the highly intelligent narrator into her black and white world. Her wonderful older eighth grade brother smoothed the way for her socially and helped her feel ok about her lonely fifth grade existence. But now he is dead. the victim of a school shooting and she must find her own way. This is a insightful look inside Caitlin's mind and there are more then a few good role models for how the rest of us can support people like her.