The Mockingbirds

by Daisy Whitney

Some schools have honour codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.
Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school where the students are exceptional, the faculty trust that everyone does the right thing, and the administration sees only what it wants to see - perfection.
So when Alex spends a drunken-night with a male student and awakes to evidence of a sexual encounter she can't remember, she doesn't know where to turn for help. As she slowly comes to terms with the fact that she was date raped, she enlists the help of the Mockingbirds - a secret society of her peers whose mission is to right the wrongs that the faculty and administration don't even know exist.
In standing up to her attacker, Alex discovers a strength she never knew she had and begins to understand that if you love something or someone - especially yourself - it's worth fighting for.

• ISBN10: 0316090549
• ISBN13: 9780316090544
• Publish Date: 9 February 2012 (first published 1 January 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

Before I start with my review, there is one thing that I have to mention: This book draws its inspiration from To Kill a Mockingbird (click on the link if you would like to read my short review that doesn't do the book justice). To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite classics and I was so pumped to read all the references and the role that it plays in this book. It gave The Mockingbirds an extra something.

So onto the review...

The Mockingbirds handled a serious topic of date-rape in an extremely realistic manner. Alex's thoughts, actions, and feelings was told in a raw, honest and unflinching manner as she struggles to deal with what happened the night she was date-raped and how to go about solving it.

Daisy Whitney can read my mind. She wrote a book about two of my many favourite things: boarding school and secret societies. In The Mockingbirds, Alex seeks help from the Mockingbirds, a secret "police" society in her elite boarding school. But I do feel as though there were a few flaws. As much as I loved the setting of this novel, I found it to be a tad bit unrealistic. In The Mockingbirds, the teachers don't take notice about the horrific things that the students do, they simply pretend that it doesn't exist. In reality, teachers know a lot more than they should, but I understand that Whitney needed to do this in order to put the Mockingbirds (the secret society) at the forefront.

Another issue that I had is that the only character that develops and grows in this novel is Alex. The rest of the characters are either stereotypes, too good to be true or are totally flat.

Even although I enjoyed this book and I loved the fact that the issue of date-rape was handled in a powerful manner, there was something that seemed to be lacking in The Mockingbirds, which is why this book gets a three-star rating.

[Amber]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

I went into The Mockingbirds not knowing anything about the story, which was probably a mistake in hindsight. The Mockingbirds is a story about a rape survivor and how she handles the aftermath with the help of her friends and a secret society at her boarding school. Due to lack of research on my part, I was shocked to find out that The Mockingbirds was about date-rape, because I managed to steer clear of summaries and spoilers. On the one hand, I love doing this because I hate knowing what a book is about before going into it. On the other, I sort of wish I had been more prepared.

Alex, the main character, is someone who I really enjoyed reading about. I didn’t feel any mind-blowing connection to her or anything, but I felt many feels while she was dealing with her abuse and I love the way that she handled it. It wasn’t easy for her, obviously, but she survived and she’s freakin’ awesome.


I’m not sure how I feel about Alex not going to the police after being date-raped, though. While I understand why she didn’t want to (judgement from authorities and parents, not feeling like it would do any good, etc.), I feel like her actions aren’t sending the right message to rape survivors about coming forward. I think The Mockingbirds should have encouraged people to go to the police and press charges, rather than have the pupils at this boarding school handle it among themselves. People need to know that it’s okay to come forward, and they shouldn’t shy away from it.

However, it’s not what Alex wanted to do, and I respect her decision for that. It’s just disappointing to me that the rapist isn’t getting properly punished for what he did, and there’s not going to be anything on his record. That said, The Mockingbirds was an interesting take for how our society deals with rape. It’s very true that rape cases often turn into victim blaming “She shouldn’t have been drinking”, “She asked for it” and the like. So I understand and respect Alex for not wanting to come forward, and for taking matters into her own hands.

For once there is a romance that helps the main character and actually works with the plot. I liked it. I didn’t ship it, really, but I liked it. I think that romances should have more to do with character and plot progression rather than just being included for the sake of it, especially if the romance is introduced at the beginning of the novel. Along with the love interest, Alex has a huge support system and it’s amazing to read about. Her friends and family love her, and will stand by her no matter what.

The inclusion of To Kill a Mockingbird was brilliant because ATTICUS. I honestly didn’t make the connection between the title, the secret society, and one of my favourite books of all time until it was smacked against my face. I love the fact that the characters in The Mockingbirds were inspired by Atticus, because quite honestly I am as well.

Would I recommend The Mockingbirds? Yes, I would. It’s a brief story, but it’s powerful nonetheless. I really enjoyed reading it, and seeing Alex come out of the experience different, yet stronger than before. The message behind it is that rape is never the victim’s fault, and they shouldn’t feel that way. Alex’s group of friends were amazing at reiterating this. I’m not sure about reading the sequel, since it’s about another matter entirely and I’m not sure if The Mockingbirds even needed a sequel. Has anyone read the sequel? If so, let me know if you think it’s worth a read!

[Joni Reads]

I had heard so much buzz over this novel and I was anxiously waiting to get my hands on it from my library. I definitely loved this book. Alex is a good girl, not one to drink and definitely not one to go home with a random guy after a party. But at the beginning of this novel that's exactly the situation Alex is in. She has woken up in a strange bed, aware that something happened, but unsure what exactly. When she sees the strange guy with her she knows something terrible happened. After piecing together the events that took place she is left with options. Forget about what took place, go to the school who will look away from it seeing as the boy in question is a star athlete, or go to The Mockingbirds, the secret society the students at her school created to act as a disciplinary board since the school cannot be relied on.

This book handles a sensitive subject perfectly. I could feel the emotions Alex was feeling right along with her as she dealt with what happened to her and then struggled to decide ultimately what to do about it. Secret societies are often played up by Hollywood to be evil and cult-like so it was interesting and fun to read about one that was for the side of justice. Sadly, schools are known to look away from things like assault and bullying if the person accused is a star athlete, even if the school claims to have a zero tolerance policy. I loved that this society was formed to protect students when the school wouldn't. Can you imagine how many lives may have been saved if there was a society like this for teens today to utilize at their schools. In an age where bullying has become an issue heard about daily and most suicides are linked to bullying then a society like this to help bullied, assaulted, and used students would be wonderful. Who knows, maybe somewhere there are teens who read this book who have created something like the society in this book. If so, kudos to them.

The Rivals, the sequel to The Mockingbirds, comes out in 2012 and I know I will be waiting anxiously for it. I can't wait to read more about this society.