The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Title: The Mockingbirds
Author: Daisy Whitney
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult
Grade: 90% or A-
Buy It: Amazon

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 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.

My Thoughts::
Ever since I first read the plot summary for this book, I wanted to read it. Unfortunately the need was never great enough for me to bring it to the top of my list. Eventually the need fell entirely to the wayside and was forgotten. When I got the opportunity to review this book, as well as its sequel, I jumped on it it. I put it on the top of my review pile.

The book starts right in the meat of the story. There is no tiptoeing around the issue or what is going to be happening. We start out alongside Alex and have to discover what happened along with her as well. The story is told through the present and also flashbacks/sudden memories that Alex has about that night. It was eery to read the flashbacks because we know how it turns out in the end. It was also interesting to see what would trigger these flashbacks.

I felt so bad and scared for Alex. This is an important book that tackles an important issue. You can really tell when an author writes passionately about something, and you can tell here. I was so worried for Alex because I thought that people at her school wouldn't be supportive in what she was trying to do. Thankfully only the people that we expected to be harsh were harsh. And there were unexpected people who turned out to be on her side and wanted to help.

Overall I think that this is an impactful book that takes a look at several different issues, not only date rape but also school administration.