Download Out of My Mind Sharon M Draper 8601200543971 Books

Product details Age Range 10 and up Grade Level 5 - 6 Lexile Measure 700 (What's this?) Paperback 320 pages Publisher Atheneum Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (May 1, 2012) Language English ISBN-10 1416971718

Out of My Mind Sharon M Draper 8601200543971 Books Reviews

• I hesitate to even classify this book as young adult, because I think every person on the planet should read it. My daughter’s second grade teacher read it to their class, and I applaud her for it. Every day my oldest girl would come home talking about the main character (Melody) and how cool she was and what was happening in her world. My daughter loves to read, but this book really resonated with her. I finally got my hands on it and read all 295 pages during a plane ride home from Vegas. The book is about a girl genius who has cerebral palsy and cannot speak or walk. She has struggles, that as a parent (and a human being) made me so sad. However, my daughter saw how the struggles made Melody strong and an amazing character. So much about empathy and acceptance is taught in this book. It is engaging to read and see how Melody navigates classroom life and proves to others (with some technological assistance) that she is not a shell, but a person with a lot to say. If I had read this before my daughter, I probably would have wrongly assumed she could not handle it. Well, she and her classmates probably handled it better than me. They saw a bigger message and were so accepting of the character. My daughter wanted to be Melody’s friend because she found her fascinating.
• Something told me to order this book for my granddaughter. When I gave it to her, she said, "Oh! I really wanted to read that!" Late one night, I couldn't sleep and picked up 'Out of My Mind'. I could not put it down! From page one, from the first sentence, I had to keep reading! This story about a little girl with cerebral palsy will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!! Every character in this book is real, but the main character, Melody, will absolutely open your eyes and your heart! This book made me get angry, laugh, cry and cheer!
  
  There are enough reviews detailing the story. So I will just say what my granddaughter said to me after reading "Wonder" (another must read), "You just have to read it for yourself."
  
  Out of My Mind should be required reading for 5th to 8th graders.
  
  Update 5/21/17 -Just got on to order 2 copies for gifts after attending New York Institute of Technology graduation yesterday. A young man graduated with a much coveted award. The school official called out the award winner and everyone started craning their necks to see who it was. When it seemed like no one was coming, the young man, in his wheelchair, was brought forward. I almost lost it because he immediately reminded me of Melody in Out of My Mind. After the ceremony, as the families, friends and grads milled about on the lawn, no one, not one soul, approached this young man as he sat with another student in a wheelchair. Because of this book, because of Melody, I was able to go talk to him and I will always remember him and his thanks, and "God bless you!"
• An emotional story told form a perspective of a girl who was born with cerebral palsy and as a result cannot walk, talk, or do most the things that healthy children can. What Melody is amazing at is thinking. She is smart. The problem is, she cannot express it, and that is why nobody knows she is capable of extraordinary thinking. However this is about the change.
  
  Melody takes us through the challenges that life has brought her, as well as through her frustrations and emotions. She takes us through her ups and her downs, and helps us understand a little bit more the challenges of being disabled.
  
  I recommend this book – especially for children. It teaches tolerance. It teaches understanding. It teaches that nobody is perfect. Not everyone is physically or mentally disabled, but a lot of people are emotionally and socially disabled (bullies).
• I'm writing this review after consulting with my 11-year-old daughter Laurel, who has severe cerebral palsy and can't walk, talk, or do activities of daily living for herself. In other words, she's a lot like Melody, the protagonist of this book. In Laurel's case, she communicates by using eye gaze to indicate yes/no or one of two choices (Laurel very badly wants a communication system similar to Melody's that would work with eye gaze, and we're looking into it now). We read this book together (like Melody, although Laurel can read, her eyes jump around and it's hard for her to follow lines). Laurel gives Out of My Mind five stars. She indicates that she feels that the book is realistic, both in terms of the character of Melody (except for the perfect memory; although perfect memory does exist, it's very, very rare, and Laurel forgets things like the rest of us) and the way people treat Melody. Although Laurel has never been wholly isolated from her peers, she relates to the experiences of being taught the same thing over and over again (in Laurel's case, it was shapes) and of spending large amounts of time in the special education room. Contrary to some comments, she does not feel that having therapists included in the narrative would have significantly changed the arc of the story. Laurel feels that this is an excellent book for people to read if they want to have a better understanding of people like her.