I Kill the Mockingbird

I Kill the Mockingbird
Author(s)
Age Range
10+
Release Date
May 20, 2014
ISBN
9781596437425
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When Lucy, Elena, and Michael receive their summer reading list, they are excited to see To Kill A Mockingbird included. But not everyone in their class shares the same enthusiasm. So they hatch a plot to get the entire town talking about the well-known Harper Lee classic. They plan controversial ways to get people to read the book, including re-shelving copies of the book in bookstores so that people think they are missing and starting a website committed to “destroying the mockingbird.” Their efforts are successful when all of the hullabaloo starts to direct more people to the book. But soon, their exploits start to spin out of control and they unwittingly start a mini revolution in the name of books.

When Lucy, Elena, and Michael receive their summer reading list, they are excited to see To Kill A Mockingbird included. But not everyone in their class shares the same enthusiasm. So they hatch a plot to get the entire town talking about the well-known Harper Lee classic. They plan controversial ways to get people to read the book, including re-shelving copies of the book in bookstores so that people think they are missing and starting a website committed to “destroying the mockingbird.” Their efforts are successful when all of the hullabaloo starts to direct more people to the book. But soon, their exploits start to spin out of control and they unwittingly start a mini revolution in the name of books.

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(Updated: June 28, 2026)
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
N/A
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N/A
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Lucy, whose mother is recuperating from a particularly tough battle with cancer, is leery of entering high school in the fall, but excited about the summer reading list she is given at the end of the year. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of her favorite books, and one that her former language arts teacher, "Fat Bob" Nowak, particularly loved. Mr. Nowak passed away due to a major heart attack, and Lucy is sad that To Kill the Mockingbird is one of the choices and not required by everyone. With her friends Elena, whose uncle runs a used book store, and Michael, on whom she has a crush, she sets out on a campaign to increase demand for the book by decreasing the supply. The friends sneak in to libraries and bookstores and hide copies of the books (they don't steal them, mind), leaving behind a flyer directing people to a web site. There is also a social media campaign, and before they know it, copies of the book are disappearing all over the US and the national media cover the event. Lucy knows that she and her friends have to come clean, but how much trouble will they get into on behalf of their favorite book?

Avid readers will love the wealth of literary allusions in this one. The characters are all fun, the writing is clever and funny, and there are tons of very nice touches. Lucy's mother has an especially good scene where she tells Lucy to stop worrying so much. Lots to like about this, and Mr. Acampora mentions in his afterword several blogs I frequent as being the genesis for his idea.
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