To Kill a Mockingbird

Reader reviewed by Jocelyn

I read this book as an assignment for my English class, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I expected it to be the type that has me reading the same page four times just to figure out the basic plot because I can't keep my attention on it for long enough to comprehend one sentence. I was definitely surprised!

To Kill A Mockingbird is a book about a girl, Scout, growing up in the South. It's not just a story about race relations, like so many. First and foremost, it's a story about growing up, and understanding the adult world, trying to understand why people act the way they do, and not always succeeding.

Even if it's never assigned in your English class, pick it up next time you're at the library, and you won't be disappointed!

Reader reviewed by Carmen

I won't be able to give this classic story justice in a book review, but I might as well try.
Scout Finch tells us her story. Of her brother Jem, her father, Atticus. Of Boo Radley.
Tom Robinson, a Negro, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. He doesn't stand a chance.
When Atticus takes his case things begin to get very interesting for the town of Maycomb.
In the prime of the book, Scout tells us about her childhood days. Of the first snow, of tagging along with Jem and Dill and running wild and free. But everyone grows up.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a very special classic. It holds a special place in many many readers hearts. And mine too.

I tried. It's really one of those books you just need to taste. If you don't like it, you spit it back out. But if you consume it with an open mind, you won't be dissapointed.

Reader reviewed by Helene

To kill a mockingbird, was a good book. The only down side was that it began very boring. We only heard about thee childhood of Jem and Scout. I felt I was getting now where, but after a long time, something finally started to happen. A black man had been accused of wraping a white girl. And ofcourse this led to court, and he was found guilty. But the father of Jem and Scout, defended him so that the trial was very long, many hours long. Before the trials usually only went on for 1 hour the most, but he made the jury and the judge, and everyone that was listening, think differently. Still this was not enough.

This book was actually very good when I think about it, I did like this book very much. And I have to say, I liked the scary ending.

Reader reviewed by sara

I had to read this book for school one year. I really enjoyed it. I love how it is told from the point of view of an innocent little girl who doesn't know anyhting. I am from a small poor town like the one in the book so I can relate to parts of her story. I thought this was a good teaching book that everyone needs to read at least once. I recomeend it for all teachers as an assignment one day.

Reader reviewed by VictoriaD

To Kill A Mockingbird was a fantastic book for young adults and up. It was a life changing expirience to get to read this book. I understood how prejudice people were and how hard it was to live through your life if you were colored. I learned that all people just like Atticus should strive for justice in their life and follow in his footsteps.

Reader reviewed by J. Mitchell


This brilliantly told story of two motherless children takes place during the great depression. Some of the events depicted in the story are based on real events of the time; the town and the characters are fictional. The lessons Jean Louise (Scout) Finch and her brother Jem learn are priceless lessons on courage, prejudice, honesty, justice, and injustice and more.

To Kill a Mockingbird grabbed my attention immediately. While this novel is entertaining, it is not a "fluffy" read. The story also bears deep analysis of the symbolism used by the author.  For instance, the mocking bird is symbolic of innocence.

While the story is told in first person by an adult Scout reminiscing about her childhood, she recounts a child's observations with an adult vocabulary. This perspective adds a depth to the story that would not be present if the vocabulary used was that of a child.

Young Scout appears to be wise beyond her years (not quite nine at the end of the story); she is also a recipient of her father Atticus's unique parenting style. He believes that the instances of disobedience, the mistakes and errors in judgement made by his children, contain valuable lessons which can help them to better understand and deal with life if they can grasp these lessons.

Recommended to readers who like to read and analyze a story. There is much material for analysis here and many study guides available online and elsewhere for the reader who is so minded. Yet unlike many stories deep enough to withstand the deep analysis, I can also recommend this to readers who just want to be entertained.

Reader reviewed by peacechik

like i said, this book was preety good, i guess. i read it because, well now that i think of it idk why i read it. i think its because i saw some of the movie or something. so like this book is preety much about these kids growing up in the south and their daddy's a lawyer and hes defending this brother because hes been acused of rape. this book kinda made me mad because a. he was found guilty even tho he didnt do it
b. that girls daddy had the nerve to be sitting up in that courtroom yelling at that guy, calling him "boy" and mess, and he was the one who actually messed with that girl
c. the brother dies at the end :(
if u wanna kno wat im talkin about, u should read the book. you'll probably be required to read it anyway if u havent already been asked to, so jus read it and get it over with :p

Reader reviewed by f00lishchick

oh wow. this book was REALLLLLY good! i now understand why this book is such a wonderful classic that everyone would eventually read when they got older. this movie is also really good! i love the plot and the characters, especially scout becuase she reminded me of how hyper I was back then when i was about her age. this book brings back some memories but most importantly, it puts a new memory in our mind.

Reader reviewed by Flash


The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is both a delightful and suspense-filled piece of literature. Set in the rural city of Maycomb County during the middle of the Twentieth Century, the story consists of both adventure and thrill. Told through the eyes of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up at the time the story takes place, also the main character, this story has equally classical and real-to-life qualities. Atticus Finch, Scouts father, an attorney-at-law, conducts a court case of Tom Robinson, an African-American man who supposedly attacked a girl named Mayella Ewell. Many of the townsmen vehemently appose Atticus choice to protect a black man, and threaten to harm him, as well as his family, throughout the story. Though at the end of the story, Atticus does not win the case, and Tom Robinson dies by getting shot while escaping, this story shows the power of friendship and love of children, family, and neighbors, as well as the consequences of hate, violence, and corruption.
Throughout the course of the story, the protagonist, Scout Finch, and the antagonist, Bob Ewell, both receive both consequences and rewards, while fulfilling their parts in the story. Scout executes her role as the protagonist by telling us everything that happens to her and her brother Jem during the short period of her life that we see. She leaves out no details, and explains everything, ranging from each game she plays, to the tinniest details of the court trial. The antagonist, Bob Ewell, fulfills his role well, though introduced late into the book. Although unsuspected at first, Bob Ewell becomes a horrible man, eventually trying to kill Scout and Jem, since their father defended Tom Robinson. Both figures fulfill their parts well, making this story have a both exciting and unexpected ending.
While not apparent at first, the conflict becomes clear by the end of the book. A reoccurring theme through the end of the story, the conflict looks like that of Bob Ewell trying to make Tom Robinson take blame for attacking Mayella. However, the author hints that the attacker might be Bob himself, though never spoken outright. The conflict becomes resolved when, while trying to kill the children, Bob Ewell dies getting slain by Boo Radley, a neighbor of the Finchs, who has not come out of his house for thirty years. This unexpected twist will delight readers. Harper Lee does a good job of showing the climax, while making the other characters think Jem the likely killer.
Though apparent, the climax of the story unfolds quite unexpectedly. It begins when Scout and Jem, walking home from the school pageant, begin to hear rustling noises. They think the rustler will consist of Cecil Jacobs, a boy who scared them before as a joke on Halloween. Then, Jem yells to run, and a battle ensues. Suddenly, someone helps Jem and Scout, although Scout thinks Jem begins fighting Bob Ewell, who had attacked them. Later, they find out Boo Radley saved them. This portion of the book qualifies as a climax because the readers find out that Bob Ewell becomes the real antagonist, and Boo Radley ends the story as a good person.
To Kill a Mockingbird, overall, results in a great book. Hard to understand at first, since the girl, Scout, has a boys name, but after a while, I liked it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to read a story about children, and their every day life adventures. Through the journeys of Scout and Jem Finch, we can see the joys they experience and sufferings that they endure, as well as the triumphs that they win together, with the love of each other, as well as that of their entire community. Even though many had prejudices against them and their father, Jem and Scout handled them all in different ways, sometimes good, others bad. Never the less, both strive to always accomplish the right thing in every instance. This story of growing up and love of neighbor is a great enjoyment for all.

Reader reviewed by Flash


The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is both a delightful and suspense-filled piece of literature. Set in the rural city of Maycomb County during the middle of the Twentieth Century, the story consists of both adventure and thrill. Told through the eyes of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up at the time the story takes place, also the main character, this story has equally classical and real-to-life qualities. Atticus Finch, Scouts father, an attorney-at-law, conducts a court case of Tom Robinson, an African-American man who supposedly attacked a girl named Mayella Ewell. Many of the townsmen vehemently appose Atticus choice to protect a black man, and threaten to harm him, as well as his family, throughout the story. Though at the end of the story, Atticus does not win the case, and Tom Robinson dies by getting shot while escaping, this story shows the power of friendship and love of children, family, and neighbors, as well as the consequences of hate, violence, and corruption.
Throughout the course of the story, the protagonist, Scout Finch, and the antagonist, Bob Ewell, both receive both consequences and rewards, while fulfilling their parts in the story. Scout executes her role as the protagonist by telling us everything that happens to her and her brother Jem during the short period of her life that we see. She leaves out no details, and explains everything, ranging from each game she plays, to the tinniest details of the court trial. The antagonist, Bob Ewell, fulfills his role well, though introduced late into the book. Although unsuspected at first, Bob Ewell becomes a horrible man, eventually trying to kill Scout and Jem, since their father defended Tom Robinson. Both figures fulfill their parts well, making this story have a both exciting and unexpected ending.
While not apparent at first, the conflict becomes clear by the end of the book. A reoccurring theme through the end of the story, the conflict looks like that of Bob Ewell trying to make Tom Robinson take blame for attacking Mayella. However, the author hints that the attacker might be Bob himself, though never spoken outright. The conflict becomes resolved when, while trying to kill the children, Bob Ewell dies getting slain by Boo Radley, a neighbor of the Finchs, who has not come out of his house for thirty years. This unexpected twist will delight readers. Harper Lee does a good job of showing the climax, while making the other characters think Jem the likely killer.
Though apparent, the climax of the story unfolds quite unexpectedly. It begins when Scout and Jem, walking home from the school pageant, begin to hear rustling noises. They think the rustler will consist of Cecil Jacobs, a boy who scared them before as a joke on Halloween. Then, Jem yells to run, and a battle ensues. Suddenly, someone helps Jem and Scout, although Scout thinks Jem begins fighting Bob Ewell, who had attacked them. Later, they find out Boo Radley saved them. This portion of the book qualifies as a climax because the readers find out that Bob Ewell becomes the real antagonist, and Boo Radley ends the story as a good person.
To Kill a Mockingbird, overall, results in a great book. Hard to understand at first, since the girl, Scout, has a boys name, but after a while, I liked it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to read a story about children, and their every day life adventures. Through the journeys of Scout and Jem Finch, we can see the joys they experience and sufferings that they endure, as well as the triumphs that they win together, with the love of each other, as well as that of their entire community. Even though many had prejudices against them and their father, Jem and Scout handled them all in different ways, sometimes good, others bad. Never the less, both strive to always accomplish the right thing in every instance. This story of growing up and love of neighbor is a great enjoyment for all.