Out of My Mind

By Sharon M. Draper 

I have never been so profoundly moved by a book as I was by this book. It reached right into my heart and pulled on childhood memories that have been buried deep for such a long time. Memories of my work, in my teens, with children with disabilities. How I loved that summer. The challenge and the joy it brought, as much to myself as it did to those kids. Memories of my profound shame when my dear friend had a life changing accident on his skateboard. How he coped, how he survived and learned again I ‘ll never understand for I deserted my friend. Ran as far and as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I just had no idea what to say, to do. I was scared. I said to myself that I would go round, one day. But days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years and here I am twenty-four years later and half a world away. I’m still ashamed of myself for never going around.

“If there’s only one book teens and parents can read this year, Out of My Mind should be it.” – The Denver Post 

Synopsis 

Eleven year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there’s no delete button. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school – but NO ONE knows it. Most people, her teachers and doctors included, don’t think she’s capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows… but she can’t, because Melody can’t talk. She can’t walk. She can’t write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind. That is, until 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.

Author

Sharon Mills Draper is an American children's writer and a professional educator, the 1997 National Teacher of the Year. She is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for books about the African-American experience. Wikipedia

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