YA Book Review: "Out of My Mind" by Sharon Draper

Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper is a must-read for all teachers and students and anyone who would like to take a trip into the mind of a child living with cerebral palsy. Melody is a fifth grader at Spaulding Street Elementary School in special ed. Although extraordinarily intelligent, no one would know it because of her physical appearance, and the fact that she can't talk. Melody is bursting with words and soaks up books and knowledge like a sponge. She just can't talk about them and isn't able to hold a pen or pencil. She does have a board with basic words that she can point to to answer simple questions.

Melody has no friends, but she does have a great team of support who are celebrated in the book. Mrs. V is her neighbor, babysitter, and cheerleader. Mrs.V is always positive, and helps Melody develop her tremendous vocabulary and helps her add new words to her communication board. I learned after reading that the author, Sharon Draper, has a daughter with special needs. She said that her desire was to not make readers feel sad for Melody, but to show that she is fearless and never gives up. I think this made the description of the parents even more rich. Melody's mom is a fierce advocate for her daughter, and uses her words that her daughter can't. Melody talks about the struggles of needing assistance for all of her human tasks; including eating and going to the bathroom, and that she wouldn't be able to do them without the support of her mom. Catherine is her aide at school. She is a college student and "always knows what to say" to make Melody feel better. During fifth grade, her school goes full-inclusion, which Melody is thrilled about because she is craving a challenge, but also notes the struggles of being included and excluded from her peers.

The highlight of Melody's fifth grade experience is joining the Whiz Kids Academic Team. She studies and memorizes facts and is able to participate with the help of her new talking device, which she calls Elvira, or a Medi talker.

Photo of a Medi-Talker

Her medi-talker has a printer attached, so she is able to respond to the multiple choice questions and quickly print out her responses. On the first practice quiz, she gets all of the answers right. The kids distrust her and accuse her of asking her aide or using her computer for help. The aide defends her and she is continues to participate. Even her teacher doubts her and her abilities. How can a kid who can't go to the bathroom by herself and drools down her shirt get all of the answers right?  

The team qualifies for nationals, and Melody gets the majority of the press from the local newspapers and the teachers. The other kids on the team are jealous and don't think Melody deserves the attention she is getting, and leave her out... ***spoiler alert***

This book captures the thoughts of a student with a gifted mind, but a broken body. It celebrates the champions who make her life rich- neighbors, teachers, aides, parents, and pets. Melody's story makes the reader feel the innate desire to SPEAK and will make every reader more empathetic and curious about those living with a disability. I give this book five stars and would recommend it to all of my students and colleagues. I am going to loan my copy to my mom, who was an aide in a special ed classroom at my middle school. My copy that I ordered on Amazon includes a list of discussion questions in the back, which I will use tomorrow with my book club, (this was our book last week, recommended by a student). Read this book!