The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney as an Inroad for To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

If you have not yet had a chance to read The Mockingbirds, by first time author Daisy Whitney, you should. Summertime is coming, and this is a must read for your summer reading list. The story takes place at Themis, a private collegiate-like high school boarding school. The protagonist, Alex wakes up in a startling location, with a number of shocking revelations. From there, the book takes off at breakneck speed until the reader can unravel the truth of what happened "last night."

Alex is a piano player worthy of a Julliard audition, but her world has been turned upside down, and she seeks out the help of The Mockingbirds, a secret society of underground "cops" who police the campus where the school itself turns a blind eye. Alex determines that the only way she can find justice is with the help of the secret society.

There is a strong tie-in with To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This might be just the book you need to get your readers into the classic American novel. While I have trouble understanding why a student wouldn't be motivated to read Lee's fantastic story, showing a young girl maturing and growing up in the prejudice environment of the south, I can understand why students might be put off by the descriptive and vocabulary-rich narrative. I myself count it as THE BEST BOOK OF ALL TIME. However, some of our more fickle students are put off by the setting, some of the language, and the amazing vocabulary used in To Kill A Mockingbird. Whitney's The Mockingbirds is definitely more of a book readers can relate with, although equitable in vocabulary and narrative quality. Give it a try and see if you can help your students find their way through Lee's novel with the help of Whitney's YA first offering. Even better news? Whitney is currently penning a follow-up sequel to The Mockingbirds.