Now that I am back from my mom vacation, it’s time to settle in for some family time. For the next few days, I am going to be catching up on my reviews of books I have read over the spring and summer that I have not yet reviewed. First up is Out of My Mind!

Out of My Mind is out now – the sequel, Out of My Heart, will be available November 9th. In anticipation of this release, the publishers were kind in sharing a free copy of Out of My Mind for review.

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.

When a Book Hits Close to Home

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.

Looking Back On My Life

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.