The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Book Jacket

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 Patrick is date-raped during her junior year, she has two options: Stay silent and hope someone helps, or enlist the aid of the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of the student body.

In this account of a teenage girl's search for her voice and the courage to use it, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that standing up for someone, especially yourself, is worth the fight.

Review

I'm really getting into contemporary YA lately.  Huh.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because there is some excellent stuff out there, Mockingbirds included.  As a sociology student, I became aware of the scary prevelence of date rape, and perhaps even more scary, the small amount of victims who actually report the crime.

The Mockingbirds is an inspiring story of a girl who learns to stand up for herself, both for her own peace of mind, but also for those coming after her who need her example.  Alex is wholly real and sympathetic, wondering if it was her fault, hoping she's remembering things incorrectly, and more than anything, just wanting it all to go away.

And the Mockingbirds themselves?  They are this super cool, very well thought out student organization that takes care of student complaints because the teachers and administrators are too busy fawning over them to realize they are teenagers (and can we stop and mention how sad that is?).  I'm not sure I believe such an organization is likely to exist, what with their unwavering commitment to justice and super planned checks and balances, but...I hope it exists.  Every high school and college should have a group like this.

Five out of five games of Trivial Pursuit.

Release Date: November 2010
Reading Level: Grade 9+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: YPL WHI


Don't believe me?  Check out these reviews of The Mockingbirds:

Frenetic Reader
Feeling Fictional