Out of My Mind
by Sharon M. Draper
Realistic-Fiction, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade, Fiction, Contemporary, Disability
Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom – the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she’s determined to let everyone know it – somehow.
Recommendations from Common Sense Media
Age Recommendation: 10+
What Parents Need to Know:
Parents need to know that Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Sharon M. Draper‘s Out of My Mind is narrated by a girl with cerebral palsy who’s very intelligent but unable to express herself verbally or physically. When Melody is integrated into some general classes at school, many kids are purposely mean; others, including teachers, are cruel through their assumptions that Melody is incapable of understanding them. With the help of her parents and some supportive friends and teachers, Melody acquires a machine that allows her to communicate better than she ever has before. This gains her a measure of peer acceptance — but also opens her up to hurt when she realizes she can never really be like everyone else. Ultimately, Melody’s self-acceptance, sense of humor, and loving nature are inspiring.
Educational Value: 4/5
Reading about Melody’s daily life will educate many readers about what it’s like to have a physical disability and help them understand why they shouldn’t take their own abilities for granted. Readers get a window into Melody’s mind that will inspire empathy and an understanding that we never really know what’s inside a person, despite appearances.
Positive Messages: 5/5
Don’t judge people at face value. Keep striving for what you want, no matter how impossible it seems. Even if all your dreams don’t come true, it’s possible to improve your life. Love is a great motivator, and family support is invaluable. A sense of humor can help you tolerate even prejudice and ill feeling.
Positive Role Models: 5/5
Melody’s intelligent and works hard to achieve as much as she can, despite her physical disabilities. The love and support she’s always received from her parents enable her to express her emotions clearly, whether it’s frustration and hurt at the cruelty of her classmates, elation over her intellectual triumphs, or appreciation of the people around her who help her. Melody’s parents, especially her mother, are strong advocates for Melody’s rights and fight against the bias many people have toward Melody because of her cerebral palsy.
Violence & Scariness: n/a
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Sex, Romance & Nudity: n/a
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Language: 1/5
Kids call Melody and her disabled classmates “retarded” and make fun of them.
Products & Purchases: n/a
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking: n/a
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