Book Review: The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Title: The Mockingbirds
Author: Daisy Whitney
Series: The Mockingbirds #1
ISBN: 978-0316090537
  Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date:  November 2, 2010
Source: Library
    Genre: YA/Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4 Kisses
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
Author's Website | Excerpt

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):  Some schools have honor codes.  Others have handbooks.  Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.  Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

My Reveries and Ramblings: The Mockingbirds is about date rape.  The story begins with Alex waking up naked in Carter’s room with no memory of what happened the previous night.  With her friends’ help, she goes to The Mockingbirds, a secret student run police force.  The Mockingbirds are The Law amongst the students.  In addition to taking Alex’s case on, they help protect her from Carter. 

            Alex begins the story a victim of a terrible crime.  Over the course of the book, she slowly regains power over her life.  She even acknowledges the fact that she’s letting the rape take over her life.  Her schedule, eating habits, and personal life were all dictated by Carter.  The Mockingbirds helped her get over all of that. 

            Martin, a member of the Mockingbirds, really helped Alex.  Even though he somewhat blamed himself for what happened to Alex.  Actually, many of Alex’s friends blamed themselves for what happened to her, even though it was no one’s fault but Carter’s.  Martin was so sweet.  I really liked how the romance in this book wasn’t overpowering.  The rape and Alex’s transformation were the main points in the plot.  The romance was more of a compliment to the story; it wasn’t necessary but at the same time it was much appreciated.  Of course, their relationship wasn’t easy.  Alex was raped, so its only natural for her to be hesitant about having a relationship with a guy.  However, since Martin and Alex were good friends before she was raped, it wasn’t as difficult as it could have been if he was just some guy that asked her out. 

            The Mockingbirds was so wonderfully written!  The dialogue was never awkward or choppy; it flowed nicely.  The plot was well developed and it too was well paced.    My favorite part, though, was not the plot but the actual writing.  Ms. Whitney’s own experience clearly influenced her writing.  By writing The Mockingbirds through Alex’s point of view, the reader can feel what Alex feels on a much more personal level than if she had written it in 3^rd person.  Ms. Whitney also uses quotes and draws inspiration from To Kill a Mockingbird.  After reading The Mockingbirds, I want to go back and re-read To Kill a Mockingbird.

            The Mockingbirds is a thought provoking novel involving rape and a girl’s decision to take a stand.  I was reluctant to read it at first, mostly because I’m not a huge fan of serious books.  I read to get away from all that.  But I couldn’t help the fact that almost every review I read praised the book to the point where I said, “I might as well…”  So far I’ve read the book twice, and loved it both times.  

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