{"id":1597,"date":"2011-02-19T23:05:05","date_gmt":"2011-02-20T03:05:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=1597"},"modified":"2011-02-19T23:05:05","modified_gmt":"2011-02-20T03:05:05","slug":"review-of-out-of-my-mind-by-sharon-m-draper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=1597","title":{"rendered":"Review of Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Out of My Mind<\/em><\/p>\n

by Sharon M. Draper<\/p>\n

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 2010. 295 pages.<\/p>\n

Melody introduces herself by talking about words:<\/p>\n

“Every word my parents spoke to me or about me I absorbed and kept and remembered. All of them.<\/p>\n

“I have no idea how I untangled the complicated process of words and thought, but it happened quickly and naturally. By the time I was two, all my memories had words, and all my words had meanings.<\/p>\n

“But only in my head.<\/p>\n

“I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old.”<\/p>\n

Melody has cerebral palsy, a condition that gives her no control over her body.<\/p>\n

“I can’t talk. I can’t walk. I can’t feed myself or take myself to the bathroom. Big bummer.<\/p>\n

“My arms and hands are pretty stiff, but I can mash the buttons on the TV remote and move my wheelchair with the help of knobs that I can grab on the wheels. I can’t hold a spoon or a pencil without dropping it. And my balance is like zip — Humpty Dumpty had more control than I do.<\/p>\n

“When people look at me, I guess they see a girl with short, dark, curly hair strapped into a pink wheelchair. By the way, there is nothing cute about a pink wheelchair. Pink doesn’t change a thing.”<\/p>\n

Because Melody has no way to express herself except a temper tantrum, the world (except maybe her parents and her kind neighbor) doesn’t realize that she’s actually brilliantly intelligent. She’s put in a class for “special” kids who go over the alphabet over and over again.<\/p>\n

But things do start looking up. Her school starts a policy of inclusion. Melody and her classmates get to join a music class, and then others. Maybe she’s even making a friend.<\/p>\n

But that doesn’t come close to what happens when Melody gets a computer — a computer that can speak for her. At last, she can communicate with the world — and the world is in for a surprise.<\/p>\n

Melody can even try out for the Quiz Team, a team that, if it’s good enough, will go to Washington, DC, and be on TV. Maybe her classmates will finally understand her worth.<\/p>\n

This book was a good read. I have a friend whose son has cerebral palsy. It took me awhile to understand that the condition did not affect his mind, but only his body. I can only begin to imagine how much frustration that could generate. And this book helped me understand it better.<\/p>\n

The author didn’t go with the predictable, feel-good ending. Although this was probably much more realistic, I did find myself wishing she had. But Melody is determined and smart, and I’m sure she’ll overcome anything further that life throws at her.<\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/out_of_my_mind.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from the Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

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