Sharon Mills Draper

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. She's the smartest kid in the school. However most people, her teachers and doctors included, don't think that she is capable of learning. If only she could tell people what she thinks and knows. She can't because she can't talk, she can't walk and she can't write. Then she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever but not everyone is ready to hear it.

Out of My Mind

Sharon M. Draper

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.

Jenny Engel

Jensyn Ronca

Read this with my students and they very much enjoyed it

Melissa Palmer

Why hadn't I read this book sooner? It's an old one that I've always heard good things about and with news of a sequel coming out in November, I decided it was time to read it. Melody is a 5th grader with CP. She may not be able to control her body but there's nothing wrong with her mind. This book is extremely powerful. I highly recommend.

Hannah Yang

Sharon M. Draper, thank you for writing Out of My Mind because that was like... woah.

Melody is just, wow, such an amazing character. I love her personality, and so hard she fights for what she wants. She gave this book a bouncy personality, like you just kept on flipping the pages and rooting for her... And when her team totally betrays her, she still goes to school and faces them. Tsk, tsk, Rose. I liked Rose's character, but it's a little stereotypical. She's totally sweet and polite and nice, but she's not a "true" friend.

Penny! Oh my, the adorableness of it all. Penny is probably one of my favorite book characters. She's so eager to learn, and she's such a cute girl, and she's so nice to her sister- almost like she understands Dee-Dee's situation. It's like she was born to make Melody happy. Penny's character really brightened the book up.

Claire is the perfect antagonist. She's got everything a good antagonist should have- snappy, bossy, mean, rude, and just your average tween bully. She is just unable to appreciate what she has, like many other people in the world, and that really adds to her character. I feel like she's two dimensional, like she could be nice but doesn't really know how to let that side of herself out. And Molly.. eh, I don't see much of her and I don't care as much about her as Claire, because she's more of a sidekick who just giggles as Claire makes snappy comments.

Overall, very inspiring and nice story, and a great book overall. I love love loved Out of My Mind and you most definitely should give it a try!

It was a good book but I personally wouldn’t read it again or even recommend it unless it was to a person like the characters Claire or Molly so that way they’d hopefully gain insight on the kind of struggles children with special needs/disabilities have to go through

Lizeth Esmeralda

Emelie

I have so many thoughts on this book, but not sure if i can put them all into words...

Rebekah Rodriguez 

My special education teacher heart is all over the place! Such a beautiful book that made me laugh and cry!

Ashley Wendt

I had such a hard time making it through so many parts of this book without crying. I loved listening to the audiobook. It made me feel like I was right there in Melody’s head going through all her frustrations with her.

Nevineetman

very inspirational ... it had a very deep message about acceptance , one of the saddest books i've read, ever ...

Latitude Tamarind

very frustrating to read this in 2021 because The School System isn't like this today (at least not in my experience) and also technology has just gotten SO MUCH BETTER

also it read like it was written in like 1992 but then someone said they had a Wii??

Flavia Louise

3.5 stars
I went into this book thinking it was about a girl on the autism spectrum but I was wrong and that didn't really bother me. In fact almost nothing bothered me about this book, only a few inconsistencies in Melody's abilities and I know I would have adored this book if I read it when I was younger. But I read it now. I think this book is very important and well written for the intended audience. It broke my heart to read about all the cruelty that I have seen myself in the past. So I really do recommend this book.

Bec Taylor

Loved the first half, lost me at the quiz prep. Worth reading anyway as the premise is so powerful and makes you rethink the way in which people view children with special needs.

Katie Day

Seems like a perfect read-on from "Wonder". There are several dated aspects (MySpace, CDs, lack of extensive internet access, etc.) but those could be interesting conversations for readers - to what extent does technology open up communication for differently-abled people?

Katie LaMarre

Decent story but I didn’t realize this is a book for 5th graders 😅

Alli King

AMAZING book that all adolescents should read. About a girl with cerebral palsy who cannot communicate until given new technology that she can access using her thumbs. It turns out she's a genius... even though she's been treated as if she were incapable of learning her entire life. Not everyone in the school wants to accept this.

Dorian Avers

This is a book that I think everyone should read. Especially children that are still going through school. Although simply written it does carry a bit more weight because of Melody, our main character. Melody is a bright girl with Cerebral Palsy. She has little use of her limbs and is nonverbal. She has always had words swirling around her head, but she has never had the ability to utilize her vocabulary. Most people see her wheelchair and think she is limited both physically and mentally, even some doctors. Melody has a great support system around her: two loving and encouraging parents, a non-pitying neighbor named Ms. V. who helps Melody in every way she can, and a student aide named Catherine who helps her in her life at school. Melody spends her days in the H-5 classroom, a classroom reserved for the children with special needs. Just her classmates and her communication board with limited phrases and words. The school begins inclusion classes that allow the children from H-5 to interact with the other students. It doesn't begin smoothly, but once Melody has found a friend and is gifted an electronic Medi-Talker, she begins to feel a bit more confident. The rest of the novel follows Melody's journey with the children at school and her home life.
 Melody's perspective is one that I have never read from before and I think that's something that I should try and take into account more often. Reading more diverse books. Melody is a strong girl and the author does not want you to pity her, just to try and understand her. This book is realistically written when it comes to the children Melody interacts with. It reminds us of how unnecessarily mean children can be, but also that there are some easily nice ones out there as well. 
We can't just listen to the ones we hear the most. The ending of this story hurt my heart, but overall it is a good read and one that I would want to keep on my shelf for my future children to read.

Jeni Enjaian

I read just under half of this book before having to finish it the next day. When I stopped before the halfway point I had really high hopes for this book. It seemed to be innovative and excellently written. The protagonist was unique with issues I had never encountered in a protagonist before. The story didn't take the usual turns...at first. Then I picked up the book to finish it and all the clichés came pouring in. I won't go into details because that would tell too much of the story itself. Once Melody got her talking board (the actual name escapes me at the time of writing this review) the story takes a turn off the cliché cliff. None of the characters show any growth for good or bad. The final events feel rushed and completely unnecessary. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book. I have several other books by Draper left on my list. I think I'll read the ones I have already checked out but unless they are significantly better than the two I just read, I will not waste any more time with more of Draper's books.

Out of my Mind

Monika Mezei

Such an unique, sad and good story. I feel like this should be a mandatory book for kids

Jasmin

Kourtney

When Sharon Draper is writing a book for kids, she will touch on subjects that might make some uncomfortable, such as abuse or death. In Out of My Mind, she writes about disabilities and the way that others perceive her. Draper has first hand knowledge of this, as her own daughter has cerebral palsy. Writing the story from Melody's POV changes the way the book hits - we aren't just witnessing the events happening to Melody, but we are experiencing her emotions, and her frustrations from her disability. 

Having been a teacher, Draper writes about 5th graders that brought me back to my own school days. Some things never change - there will always be mean girls, and those that are more sensitive. We first meet Melody and get to know her and her family through her thoughts. When she is in school, she is in special education classes that do not help her learn the way she needs to. Some teachers are great, while others phone it in. Reading this information scared me to my core. I know how hard parents have to fight for their kids when they need an IEP, and then fight some more when the IEP is not being adhered to. 

Melody is able to eventually get an aide, and begins to integrate with the mainstream classes. It is here where we meet the mean girls who dismiss Melody and her abilities based just on her disability. Teachers even do the same when she begins to try out for the school quiz team. But Melody perseveres and makes it on to the quiz team!

Reading through the story now that I am a mom gave me so many emotions while reading this. Seeing Melody's mom struggle to do something we see as simple, such as going to a restaurant that doesn't have ramps or eating a meal, or reading Melody's frustration when she wants to exhibit a simple emotion, such as excitement, but has to be mindful of how her body reacts to avoid others staring at her or making fun of her. It really put things into perspective that we may not think of that will hopefully make us more empathetic in the future.

I wish I had a book like this to read back when I was in 4th and 5th grade. The school I attended did not send the special education children to mainstream classes. Instead, what they would do would they would select a handful of students from each class to go to the class at designated times and sit together. We would play games, or read stories together. 

I remember feeling very nervous going in the first couple of times. No one ever explained to us 30 years ago (ouch) what it meant when a child was non verbal as compared to those who could tell us their thoughts and feelings. Reading in the book about Melody's frustrations when others dismissed her and would talk about her as though she wasn't there just because she couldn't speak makes me feel ashamed that I may have done the same way back when. This is a story that I will be sharing with my children when they are a bit older!

Thank you to the publishers for providing a free copy for review in anticipation of the sequel coming out! All opinions are my own.

Nadia Leontescu

Oh this was so heartfelt and encouraging! I loved every aspect and character, even if they weren't 'good' characters. The whole story is a great representation of overcoming physical challenges and proving to the world that you can do it.

Bindy Wicks

I don't actually own this book, In year 6 it was the classroom book and we all loved it. It's about this girl who can't speak, write, or move properly and yet she is the smartest in her class due to her photogenic memory. It's about the struggles and achievements of her life and I still think about it to this day. I've been looking for it everywhere and have yet to buy it but fingers-crossed it happens soon.

Brittany Firmes

This book was amazing. After reading about Melody and everything that happened in this book, I am ashamed to say that I would have been one of the people in the book who assumed that she could not be smart because of her physical disabilities. However, I feel enlightened after reading this book, and I think more people should read it because then they might better understand.

Sara 

I love, loved this book! The only other book I read that was related to this was Mockingbird, which was awesome as well! Sharon M. Draper is an amazing writer, and I hope she rights a lot more books!

Out of My Mind

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