Out of My Mind

by Sharon M. Draper

Paperback, 2012

Status

Available

Genres

Children's Books

All Topics

Fiction

Pages

320

Physical description

320 p.; 7.63 inches

Publication

Atheneum Books for Young Readers (2012), Edition: Reprint, 320 pages

Description

Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.

Media reviews

MSU AdolLit

This book could be considered an eye opener to many. I think this would be a good book to read for teenage students because at that age everyone is different and sometimes kids can be cruel to children who aren't like them. I have a friend who has cerebral palsy so this book was very emotional but

quite nice for me to read.

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— 1 more

Out of My Mind

Out of My Mind was a book that put things in perspective for me. This novel is about a girl name Melody who is not able to speak or walk. Melody is a 12 year old girl who is was diagnosed with Cerbal Palsy, throughout this book it covers so many themes such as, courage, empathy, perseverance and

so much more. We see the obstacles Melody is faced throughout the novel and how she is treated by those around her. Many people in the novel judge Melody by her disability instead of an actual person. The way this book put things in perspective for me personally was how we take for granted the things we are able to do and how there are cruel teachers and classmates out there. This novel was a prime example of how not all teachers are the best. I think this shows how amazing Melody is as a person and how she overcomes what is thrown at her. Melody is such a strong kind hearted girl who just wants to fit in like everyone else. It also shows the love and support of her family and close friends. They love Melody unconditionally regardless of her disability. I think this is a book that all people should read not just education majors. This novel reminds you of how people are different, but love them for them despite how different they may be. I would highly recommend this novel as it brought so many emotions to me as a person.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member delphica

This was pleasant enough, and it reminded me, in a nostalgic way, of a Scholastic book club book. Melody is a fifth grader with CP, and she cannot speak or write until she learns to use a computer assistance device that enables her to communicate. This aids her in participating in class, making

some tentative connections with her classmates, and winning a place on the school's competitive quiz team.

Despite the fact that it's all a thoughtful enterprise, it's one of those books with not a lot of there there, if you get what I mean. It unfolds more or less as you would expect, although I knocked it up another half star for avoiding a pat, predictable ending.

Grade: B-
Recommended: It's very sweet, I would say it's solid for fifth graders, I'm not sure adult readers would find it that compelling unless they have a special interest in the topic

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24 more

LibraryThing member Lisa2013

recommended for: every 8-12 year old kid, disabled kids & those who know them; all who work with the disabled

I highly recommend this book to everybody, but especially to disabled kids, kids who know disabled kids, anyone who works with disabled kids, especially non-verbal/speech impaired disabled

people and people with cerebral palsy or similar neurological motor conditions.

This is an absolutely wonderful book that almost made my favorites shelf. It’s wickedly funny and brutally, wonderfully honest.

I’ve always enjoyed stories about special needs kids, special education, ill children, disabled children, but they’re usually told by someone else, and usually an adult. This children’s novel is narrated by Melody, almost eleven years old, who has a photographic memory and synesthesia (she sees colors and tastes flavors when she hears music), and she is highly intelligent, but because she has cerebral palsy, she cannot talk or write or walk.

I admire how this story evolved. Even though there is what seems to be the obligatory tearjerker “big end” it wasn’t the one (two actually) a reader would have expected the most, and it’s clear Melody’s life does not become perfect, or even as easy as some authors would have implied. However, Melody manages to shine in this book; I love her voice, and I love this book. It’s a very quick read; I inhaled it in less than a day.

Oh, and I just realized how poignant the cover illustration is!

And, I need to add that Butterscotch is now one of my favorite ever dogs in a novel!

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LibraryThing member KarenBall

Amazing, fantastic, phenomenal... I can't say enough good things about this one. Sharon Draper has written a book that I hope every kid reads. Melody is a 5th grader who has a brilliant mind, but she's stuck in a body that barely functions because she has cerebral palsy. She's never spoken a word,

and though her family sees her intelligence, most of the other people in her life ignore her or treat her like a baby. Melody gets a communication device that is somewhat like a laptop, and it allows her to speak for the first time in her life. This changes her life, and the lives of those around her dramatically, but there are still those who choose to underestimate her and make fun of her. This is beautifully written, with so many poetic and wonderful parts, and characters who are believeable, especially the other students at Melody's school. I laughed out loud at some of Melody's observations of life around her, and I got really, really angry at parts. This is a story of courage in the face of difficulty that will never go away, empathy, kindness, and choices that we make because others are looking at us... Everyone should read this -- parents and teachers too.

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LibraryThing member Knicke

Dang it, dang it, dang it. I wanted so much to like this book. There aren't nearly enough children's books that have main characters with major disabilities (except for autism/Asperger's, enough already with that conceit). It was just...bad. Poorly researched, poorly written; I'm no disability

expert, but even I can tell this. First of all, I just don't buy that a person with no physical capacity to speak or ability to write would have an internal monologue that sounds the way Melody's does. Secondly, Melody has all these adults who ostensibly believe she is intelligent and will go to bat for her...but why does she have NO supportive services?! I'm not claiming that every kid who needs them is magically granted the services they need in this day and age; I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why someone like Melody might be in the predicament of not being able to communicate fully etc. But WTF?! She seriously has had NO physical therapy or occupational therapy or anything but a cursory evaluation by a checked-out incompetent child psychologist?!!! Even with supportive parents and a supportive family friend, both of whom have medical/nursing backgrounds?! The hospital just sent her home with her parents and said "good luck - figure it out"?!!I'm not claiming that things are 100% hunky dory for kids like Melody. The interpersonal stuff with her classmates, and even some of the disparaging remarks from her mainstream teacher - that stuff rings a bit truer. And yes, I know the services available are often inadequate and hard to access. But there are plenty of other challenges that kids with severe CP have to deal with, without piling on the unrealistic ones.There was so much potential here, but instead all I got was a polemic that repeatedly hit me over the head with the message that "people with disabilities are people too!". Even most enlightened second graders I know are beyond that.

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LibraryThing member LMKatz

This is a book that everyone should read. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper is a compelling read about an 11 year-old child with Cerebral Palsy. Melody isn’t like most kids, she can’t walk and she can’t talk, but she can think. But nobody really knows what goes on in her mind, but we do as

readers. Written from the point of view of the character the author shows us the life of a child with a terrible disease. While Melody isn’t mentally challenged like most people think. She is a fifth grader with normal thoughts and feelings. Melody has determination, she is funny and she is full of love. Melody is intelligent but nobody knows it because she can’t talk, she can’t complain, she can’t share her feelings, or answer the questions in class. She can do it in her head, but the words don’t come out of her mouth. That is until she receives a special computer that can talk for her. Once she learns how to the use the keyboard her thoughts come flying out and she suddenly goes from being the stupidest girl in the school to the smartest. But not everyone is ready to see how much she knows.

This is truly a wonderful story about a young girl that you will never forget; a story of both heartache and hope. It can also be a wonderful story as a read aloud to a class to talk about differences. Another wonderful read about what it is like to be different. Sharon Draper wrote this story as a testament to those with disabilities, those who are misunderstood and to all the people out there that take care of these types of people. A recommended read for Grades 5-8

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LibraryThing member Whisper1

Eleven year old Melody is trapped in her Cerebral Palsied body. While her body fails, her mind soars. Compiling mental lists of thousands of words, at an early age she perceived them as colors. As the images float in a brilliant kaleidoscope, she grieves that she cannot articulate and pronounce a

single word.

Because people saw the physical constraints, except for a few, she was perceived as severely mentally challenged. Knowing that her tiny eyes expressed far more than her body could communicate, her mother insisted she attend school. Placed in a room with severely mentally challenged individuals, she longs to be set free, to express words, to communicate and identify her surroundings.

Acquiring a machine that fosters communication, she is released from the chains that held for for so long.

While she drools, cannot walk and is dependent upon a motorized wheel chair for transportation, has severe, uncontrollable spasms, cannot feed herself, nor cannot go to the bathroom without assistance, she stubbornly longs for fit in, to find a way to be "normal."

For part of the day, she is allowed to attend a classroom of individuals her age. Using her machines, her spirit and intelligence shine through.

When she takes a giant risk and joins other intelligent classmates in trying out for a scholastic competition, she is the only student ever to answer all questions correctly.

When her school is set to go to Washington, DC for the national competition, Melody sadly realizes how very cruel her classmates can be.

There are many layers to this story. The love of family shines through. The love of others who understand her and open doors is a beauty to behold.

Many of us experienced bullying, Melody has to be strong on many levels and dig deep inside to overcome the harsh reality that many value physical attributes far more than what her soul holds.

Tragically, Melody remembers that once, she watched, unable to do anything as her gold fish jumped out of the bowl, flew through the air and died because it was out of the necessary environment to sustain life.

Analogous to her gold fish, Melody knows that to overcome limitations, may equate to gasping for air while others watch helplessly. And, while Melody knows her parents are there to cheer her on, her classmates jealously wait for her to fail.

Five well-deserved stars for this one!

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LibraryThing member staceybr

This well written book from the point of view of Melody, a fifth grader who has never been able to speak but hears words all around her. She has been in class with kids who are also challenged since kindergarten but come fifth grade, she is now entering some inclusion classes. With that comes

snickering and teasing and uneasiness from the other kids. She struggles with this and they struggle with accepting her, especially when it turns out she is so bright. This book will make you laugh and cry and really think about acceptance and respecting all people.

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LibraryThing member lkernagh

I loved this book. I give it a huge WOW! Draper provides a very unique heroine in Melody Brooks. Melody is an 11 year old girl. She has all the normal dreams, aspirations, and goals of all children. Considered by many to be mentally retarded, Melody is a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with a

photographic memory and cerebral palsy. Melody has to endure not only the barriers of mobility and communication of her disability, abilities that so many people take for granted, she also faces the social barriers of her peers and others that see her physical disabilities as an indicator of mental disability. Melody cannot talk. She cannot convey to individuals around her what we take for granted as basic communications skills. Her mind cannot force her body to cooperate. Melody is frustrated, tough and charitable. She faces the world head on - her only dream, if it could be fulfilled, would be to dance and talk.

Melody's life takes an huge leap forward when she discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time. The technology and the school's Whiz Kids quiz team tri-outs provide Melody with a glimpse into the struggles, and denial, her school mates have in coming to terms with understanding Melody's disability and Melody's strengths.

Narrated by Melody, the reader really gets to see and feel life from Melody's point of view. This is an amazing coming of age story that I highly recommend. A truly stellar piece of work.

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LibraryThing member marcejewels

Amazon sent this one as a recommendation and the summary reminded me of my all time favourite Dibs, In Search of Self. This one gets 5 stars, a motivating story of hope and how you look at yourself and all those around us that are different.

Melody is eleven years old and has Cerebral Palsy and has

a photographic memory, so she is brilliant, but unfortunately no one knows it accept her mom. Her mom is a true advocate for Melody beyond just being her mom and showing her love. She had to fight Doctors, teachers, people in general, those that you think will have the Melody’s future in mind just wrote her off, but even if she didn’t, Melody would have made her voice heard eventually. All the characters were so true, you loved many and wanted to shout at others but the whole time enjoying Melody, not feeling sorry for her as a handicapped child even though your heart broke at times, but Melody’s was also.

Out of My Mind is told from the view point of Melody, so we get to hear the genuine, honest voice, the attitude, the love, the sadness and the hard part of just growing up. You fall in love with her spirit immediately, she is like normal children and the book was remarkable on making sure you looked her as an individual, not a handicapped or learning disabled child.

This is a very motivating, touching story which I loved. I would recommend it to anyone especially children, teachers and parents that have interactions with mentally challenged, learning disabled children. If we took the time to appreciate and find the strength in others, life would be happier and more fulfilling.

I love walking away from a book feeling good.

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LibraryThing member BratGirlC

This was such a great book, very moving! Most people have written 11 year old Melody off, since she can't walk, talk, or feed herself, but she's got a photographic memory. Everything goes in, but nothing can come out. She tries to show the world how smart she is, but kids act like kids, and things

don't quite turn out the way she hoped. I know I will never look at people quite the same way again!

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LibraryThing member YAMaven

I really enjoyed this book. There aren't a lot of books out there on this topic and I thought the author handled it very gracefully. Melody is a very interesting and likeable character and as a reader, much like the main character in Terry Trueman's "Stuck in Neutral", you really are forced to stop

and think about the way in which you view people with disabilities. I thought toward the end of the book there was a bit too much going on in the story, but overall, I'd recommend it highly.

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LibraryThing member Mrs.Becker

I just finished reading this AR book and I loved it! I finished reading it in 2 days. This is a story about an eleven year old girl who has cerebral palsy. She is very intelligent but because of her disability she has never been able to speak a word in her life. People just assume that she is not

capable of thinking, but she really is one of the smartest kids in the fifth grade. Unfortunately she has to deal with being an outsider because her classmates don't want to make an effort to befriend her because she is "different." This is a great story about wanting to fit in, overcoming your fears, and learning that there are more important things in life than being popular.

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LibraryThing member skstiles612

Melody was born with Cerebral Palsy. She must be buckled in to her wheelchair at all times, she drools and has spasmodic moments, and she can't talk. Even though she can't talk, her mind works all the time. The problem is, no one knows this. A couple of teachers have figured out her gestures and

nurtured her learning along the way. Most, along with her doctor, believe she would be better off in a nursing home. Then enter Mrs. V. the neighbor. She babysits Melody and that is when her real learning begins. It starts with learning to roll over and grab things. Throughout the year Mrs. V. teaches her words and sentences and even creates a board for her tray with pictures and words to help her communicate. Then comes the day when she is in fifth grade and put in inclusion classes. Seeing a girl's new computer she communicates with her aide that she wants something like it. After some research they find a machine, the Medi-Talk, that will help her do just that. Imagine every one's surprise when she returns to school after Christmas and is able to communicate. Still not everyone believes she has a high functioning brain. When she makes the Whiz Kid Team and takes them to the next level her teacher is astounded and is apologetic for not realizing or understanding that just because her body was broken didn't mean her brain was. But not everyone else feels this way.
I was on an emotional roller coaster through this book. I cheered Melody on when she would accomplish something that was so easy for me and difficult for her. I got angry when people judged her. I devoured this book in just a couple of hours. I think this should be required reading for all students and teachers. Although I borrowed this book from our school library the day it came in, I will make sure that other teachers and students know of its existence and will be purchasing it for my own shelves. Books that teach us such a powerful lesson and make us look at how we look at others don't come along very often. This book was definitely well written.

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LibraryThing member LadyoftheLodge

I loved this book and Melody, the main character. Based on what I know of kids with disabilities, this is a realistic portrayal. However, I hated the ending.

LibraryThing member jlwllm12

Looking from someone else's perspective always make things more appreciated. This is a must read!

LibraryThing member GMac

Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.

LibraryThing member lnommay

Book talk:
If you have ever made fun of another person and called him or her a name such as "retard," this book is not for you.
If you have ever found enjoyment in someone's inability to do something you can easily accomplish, this book is not for you.
If you can stand by why others torment their

victims, this book is not for you.
If you judge a person solely by the way he or she looks, this book is not for you.
If all of these descriptions fit you, then this book probably IS for you.
Melody is 11 years old. She has never spoken a word, though she owns thousands of them. Her parents can never hear her say that she loves them. There are no friends with whom Melody can share secrets; in fact, for the first 10 years of her life, all her thoughts were secrets. No one knew that Melody was brilliant. Everything Melody ever heard was stored away in that brilliant mind of hers, though no one knew. Luckily, though they had no reason to believe in her, there were a few adults that did. And a way was found for Melody to communicate through a special computer. What happened after that was, as the expression goes, both good and bad.

So if you have ever been saddened by an injustice and felt like you should stand up and be heard, this book is for you.
If seeing another person get picked on for being different makes you angry, this book is for you.
If you believe all people deserve a chance, this book is for you.
If you always find yourself rooting for the underdog, this book is for you.
If you would never think of calling another human being something cruel and hurtful like "retard," this books is for you.

Though Melody can never speak a word out loud, I will never forget her voice.

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LibraryThing member ken1952

An excellent novel told from the view of an 11 year old girl who has cerebral palsy. What a marvelous piece of writing. Melody is smart, funny and totally frustrated with the body she inhabits. A book written with young readers in mind, but a book that should be read by everyone.

LibraryThing member sgrame

Melody is 11 years old and although she is "surrounded by thousands of words... maybe millions" of words, she hasn't spoken a single one. Sandwiched between these intense images in the very first sentences of the story and again in the last is the story of a very smart girl with a photographic

memory that just happens to have cerebral palsy. Misunderstood at school and mostly left in a special ed. classroom to go over the letters of the alphabet year after year, Melody finds the monotony enough to fmake her feel as if she is going out of her mind. Her fifth grade year brings unexpected and welcome changes, however, when her school goes to inclusion classes and she finally gets to not only get to know some of the regular kids, but also learn alongside them. When she finally is able to get a computer to help her communicate so that she can actually participate in classes, the whole world opens up to her. She tries out for a spot on a challenge quiz team to represent the school nationally and even facing the misunderstanding that a girl like that has a brain, she proves to be a worthwhile competitor. Classmates as well as a teacher must learn to deal with it. However, when unexpected calamities happen, Melody shows that she has learned what is really important in life.

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LibraryThing member sammynop

This book is about a girl named Melody Brooks. She has cerebral palsy which means that she can't move or talk at all. Melody has always been told what she can't do. But she's ready to prove everybody wrong. Melody's aid helps her find a laptop that is just right. The laptop, called a Medi-Talker,

can be connected to Melody's wheelchair and it will speak for Melody. Melody tries out for the Whiz Team and gets a perfect score. When Melody goes to the airport to got Washinton D.C. for the contest, she finds out that her flight has been cancelled and her team left on an earlier flight. No one bothered to tell Melody and she is upset. A few days afterwards, her sister, Penny, is ran over. Penny luckily survives. From that day, Melody looks at life with a different perspective than before.
I feel bad for Melody. She's really smart but there was no way for her to show that before the Medi-Talker. When Melody found out that her team had left her, I was very sorry for her. Nobody had called her to tell her that the team had gone for breakfast and then left for the airport. Because the team had left without Melody, they only got ninth place. I think they deserved that. Melody was the smartest person on the team. Melody is a really good person, people just have to take time to know her.

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LibraryThing member FrankieSmith

This book is perfect for anyone who deals with physically challenged children. It depicts the cruelty and misunderstanding so many people have when a physical challenge prevents the usual manner of communication. I cried for and cheered on the protagonist.

LibraryThing member Lauramel

I loved this book. It really opened my eyes about cerebral palsey. I was not aware of how incredibly intelligence a child with this condition could be. It is a wonderful book to share with middle schoolers and late elementary students in order to encourage discussions about individuality and

accepting other people for what they are inside. Kids of this age are so focused on what they look like and it would help them to see that the outside is only a very small piece of an individual.

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LibraryThing member mecr6

This book was very entertaming i liked it alot . i really felt like i was related to this girl and knew her personaly.

LibraryThing member abackwardsstory

Out of My Mind was first recommended to me by a co-worker. The story is lovely and breath-takingly fragile. I wept, I laughed, I felt for the main character, Melody (and everyone else with disabilities like hers). Draper really found a way to emotionally involve readers in her story.

The novel

centers around a ten-year-old girl named Melody. She's really smart, has a photographic memory...and no one knows. Everyone thinks she is retarded and has no capacity for learning. Melody has a very severe form of cerebral palsy. She can't walk, talk, or properly move her arms. Her parents still have to spoon-feed her. Poor Melody has to suffer through special education classes at school where the teachers treat the kids like infants and they are constantly relearning the alphabet and simple math. It drives Melody crazy because she's such a smart girl.

When Melody is almost eleven, she finds out about a special computer specially designed for people like her. It's programmed to talk at the push of a button. Slowly, Melody is able to demonstrate just how intelligent she is, which makes everyone around her second-guess everything they thought they knew about people with disabilities.

This book will change you. You'll never think about people with disabilities the same way again. Melody is so brave and strong despite the odds stacked against her. I absolutely couldn't put this book down and rooted for Melody all the way through. In fact, this almost feels like the type of book Jodi Picoult would write for children. It has that same delicate aura to it, the same intense look at hot-button issues, the same surprising twists and turns.

The book's title, Out of My Mind, is wonderful; it describes Melody and her situation perfectly. The cover image of the fish jumping out of the bowl suits both the title and a scenario that occurs inside the book and was just the right choice.

Indeed, if you're looking for something deep and meaningful, check out Draper's amazing book. I hope more students will pick up this title as well; it will really make them think twice before teasing their less capable peers in the future.

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LibraryThing member cablesclasses

Draper’s note at the end of the book explains that the character, Melody, is based upon “her experiences in raising a child with developmental difficulties.” Though Melody is purely fictional, Draper has the reader questioning how much a cerebral palsy child is capable of and how much more

investigation and equipment could be developed to help children with this disease. Out of My Mind is told from the first-person point of view of Melody, who ironically, cannot talk because of her disease. Through her narrative, we learn she is capable, from an early age, to remember everything. School, over the years, ranges from boring to absolutely intense. Devastation and heartbreak just lurk around each corner. Just when everything starts going rosy, Melody finds one more hurdle to tackle. Draper’s novel allows young readers a glimpse of living a life with a disability.

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