Author Kathryn Erskine is a resident of Virginia. As such, she was deeply affected by the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Kathryn was driven to understand how community and family--particularly families with special-needs children--dealt with this violent event and how our lives might be different if we understood each otheR&Better. In writing Mockingbird and telling the story of Caitlin, a young girl with Asperger's syndrome, she walked into the fragile world herself and, like Caitlin, offers us something "good and strong and beautiful." She won the 2010 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for Mockingbird. Kathryn was born in the Netherlands and grew up in Europe, Africa, Canada, and the United States. Kathryn was a lawyer for 15 years before returning to her first love, writing. She is inspired by the world around her, from personal experiences, including her childhood attending eight different schools. Her debut novel, Quaking, was one of YALSA's Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. She lives in Virginia with her husband, two children, and dog, Maxine.