A review of "Out Of My Mind"
...But only in my head. I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old....”
excerpt from chapter 1 from “Out of my Mind”
Sharon M. Draper is an accomplished writer and a winner of many awards for her compelling pieces. She has received much praise for all her publications, and she continues to write more. Draper loves to write she says “words flow easily from my fingertips, and my heart beats rapidly with excitement as an idea becomes a reality on the paper right in front of me.” With such ambition, Draper captivates readers with every single word that’s read in her books. The most compelling is Out of my Mind, which is a story about a young girl having a battle between her distinctions and “normality.”
Melody Brooks is an eleven year old girl born with cerebral palsy. This disability hinders Melody from communicating ideas, and she has never spoken a single word. Unlike any ordinary fifth grader, Melody is unable to walk and care for herself. This disability may have fractured 10 year old Melody Brooks’s body, but it has not affected her mind. Melody is a brilliant child with a photogenic memory that allows her to store and analyze everything that happens in her life. Melody is a genius, but nobody knows it. How would you feel if you were brilliant and you couldn’t communicate any of your thoughts?
Out of My Mind is a book that should be read by everyone. Ten year old Melody Brooks displays a positive way to deal with difficulties of her world by living above all expectations people set for her. Melody’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge encourages her to move on and not quit. She has the help of an electrical word board thats connects to her wheelchair. This device allows her to create phrases, and it speaks her words aloud. This machine allows Melody to express some of her thoughts but its not capable to prove her real intelligence.
Although she is so young she has experienced so much already. Dealing with bullies, being misjudged, not having a choice in some decisions, and the worse part, not being able to say anything. Discouraged by her peers, Melody is afraid to venture out. Until one day when Melody takes the greatest challenge of her life and competes against her “normal” classmates. She joins a quiz team and all goes well in the first competition, but then things stir up when she is betrayed. Melody’s world comes crashing down, and other tragedies that happened at the same time. Melody continues to push on through all of this and every challenge thrown at her. In the end Melody is victorious. I highly recommend this book to everyone! This book is enjoyable and attracts any age group that has a thirst for learning and discovering just like Melody.
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