Sharon Draper is the author of Out of my Mind. Considered by many to be mentally retarded, brilliant, impatient Melody is a girl with cerebral palsy who discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.
Melody has a photographic memory. She is one of the smartest kids in the school, but no one knows it since she can’t speak. Her brain injury prevents her from talking, walking or feeding herself. Her school day is filled with kindergarten lessons due to the fact that her doctors and teachers don’t think she is capable of learning. Then she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice…but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.
This Golden Sower nominee for 2012-2013 is an excellent book that allows the reader into the mind of someone who is very different from himself or herself. You’ll find yourself cheering for Melody as her world opens up for her and will experience her heartbreak when she is still treated like someone who is different from everyone else. This is a great book to teach empathy to kids.