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Jun 27, 2011

Destinee rated it:

Many people love love love this book, so I'm going to skip the praise (you can read plenty of it elsewhere) and go straight to criticism:

1. The phrase "untouched in my hands" really bothers me. How can something be untouched if it's in your hands?

2. I worry this book is dated already. Do kids really say "tight" anymore? I know Draper is trying to make Melody sound like a real kid, but to my ears she sounds like an adult trying to sound like a kid. In More...

6 comments like (29 people liked it)

May 23, 2010

Rabia rated it:

The book "Out of my mind" by Sharon M. Draper has changed my view of how people view others. This book is the story of a girl who was born unable to speak, walk, write, or anything on her own. Ever since the day she's been born she's always been helped by someone,never able to do something on her, not even talk. She was always seen as the girl in the wheel cahir who couldn't do anything. So when Melody finally can do something on her, can even speak for the first time, why do peopl More...

7 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 08, 2011

Julia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2011

Shawna rated it:

Melody's the smartest kid in school, with so many things to say, but she can't because she's diagnosed with cerebral palsy leaving her unable to voice any of her thoughts. When her school starts an inclusion program where the special needs kids can join classrooms and get a chance to interact with others, Melody gets a teacher named who runs the Whiz Kids Quiz team. In his class, she meets two girls who are uncomfortable with her and so they start making crude comments; making sure she hears the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 14, 2011

Josiah rated it:

This is the best book that I have read in years. It's right up there near the same plane as the very best books that I have ever read. I had never read any book by Sharon M. Draper before this one, but I think that's about to undergo a major reversal. If she's able to even approach the incredible level that she has achieved in the making of this novel in anything else that she has done, then I want to experience it.

Where do I start in describing a story of the power and magnitu More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 22, 2010

Nathaniel rated it:

This is a novel about a 11 year old girl named Melody. Who is mentally disabled cannot run, walk or even talk. She has these momentes called tornado momentes, where her arms and legs randomley swing about when shes mad. She also has a wonderious ability to see colors when listening to music. When she also makes the academic team, everyone thinks that shes "dumb" so she shouldn`t particapate. When she gets her team to the championship match she is really exited............. More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 01, 2010

Claire rated it:

Oh, man. I'm finding this book very difficult to write about. I really want to like this book. Before I was a librarian, I was a disability rights advocate; and of the many experiences that I had during those six years, one of the most intense and formative was supporting a young woman my age who had CP and was nonverbal. She was a client and then a friend, and much of our time together was spent supporting her to learn how to use a speech device to communicate in her own words. She passed away More...

10 comments like (24 people liked it)

Oct 01, 2011

Ellen rated it:

Melody is not like other eleven-year-old girls. She can see colors and words in ways most kids can't and she loves language and learning and can remember everything, like she's recording information. But no matter how much Melody loves learning and how many words she knows, Melody cannot speak.

This is an incredible story from the perspective of a young girl with CP, touching on what it feels like to be an intelligent girl who has trouble trying to communicate with her family, teache More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2011

Ryan rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 13, 2010

Serena rated it:

This is such an amazing book that I just want to re-read it again!

0 comments like

Jan 24, 2012

Lisa rated it:

leven-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 up, if only she could tell people what she thin More...

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Jan 21, 2012

Alejandra rated it:

Out of my mind by Sharon M. Drapper is an excellent book. Melody the main character has a disease that doesn't let her talk and say what she feels. She remembers everything form the smallest detail to the biggest detail. There is nothing that she can't remember. She struggles with her life inside school and outside of school.Her teachers don't seem to recognize her talent but there is one person who does and that person is her babysitter.She is very determine to let others know what she feels. More...

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Jan 14, 2012

Katisha rated it:

Eleven year-old Melody was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby and has been confined to a wheelchair her whole life. Even though she can’t speak, feed herself, and often drools, she has a photographic memory and is smarter than many adults. Through the help of an electronic talking device, Melody finally gets the chance to speak, but her classmates and teachers don’t immediately see past her disability. The cover didn’t seem appealing to me at first, but after reading this book, I underst More...

0 comments like

Dec 30, 2011

Alexa rated it:

Melody is a girl whos diagnosed to not be able to talk, walk or anything really. However she is able to hear, see and also use her hands a little bit though she can't write she can type. She always wasn't able to express that she can be smart until she had the help of her aide, Catherine, Mrs. V her neighbor but also baby sitter and her teacher Mrs. Shannon. When she learns about the a Whiz competition she decides to participate on the practice test. Then she moves on to the other test to en More...

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Dec 22, 2011

Lisasimon rated it:

I did not really want to read this book. I have not enjoyed either of Sharon Draper books I've read before. But a school I'm working with is going to read this book, I had the time so I figured...

I really enjoyed it. The character development is very strong and from my (somewhat unknowing) perspective, Draper seems to do a thoughtful job of representing the perspective of an 11-year-old girl who has both great intelligence and CP. I thought she was particularly strong in representing t More...

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Dec 02, 2011

Emma rated it:

Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to share your thoughts and ideas with others but just couldn't communicate them? Melody has lived her entire life without ever being able to speak a single word. She also can't walk or feed herself because she has cerebral-palsy. The world simply assumes that she is retarded because she cannot communicate, but inside Melody is just bursting with words if she could only say them. Out of My Mind is a story of how the world often underestimates ind More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2011

Lyn rated it:

Some books are like a snack - light and easy, but still enjoyable. Some books are like a meal - it gives you many ideas and concepts to chew for a few days. Then you have dessert books - not good for you, but so much fun!
This book had to rate a a seven course meal.
"Out of My Mind" is just as clever as Melody. It has a certain finesse that so many books lack nowadays. This novel takes the reader through a life of a young girl who is trapped in her head. Her condition ce More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2011

Ashton rated it:

Genre: Contemporary Realism
Summary: Melody is a young girl who was born with cerebral palsy. This book tells of her struggle in not being able to walk or talk, but in knowing that she is one of the smartest kids in her 5th grade inclusion classes.
Critique: a) The descriptions in this book are amazing and allow you to understand exactly how Melody feels, how she is able to understand people around her, and how she strives to be a better person.
This book was one of the best books More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 09, 2011

Kate rated it:

Oof. I really really liked this book for making me think in a different way, and for helping me learn about the challenges people with CP (and other disabilities) face. Unfortunately I did not like a lot of the writing. Draper switches tenses so frequently I really could never tell if it was intentional or just sloppy.
And the way the kids talk: "That's what's up" "I feel you" "He is tripping"...ouch. It's painful. And I just absolutely could not buy the fact t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 25, 2011

4abby rated it:

The book I read was called Out Of My Mind. It was a really good book. Melody, the main character, is 11 years old. She can not walk, talk, or eat by herself she has to have someone feed her and help her with everything she does because her arms and legs do not work. You may have guessed she had a disability, she has Cerebral Palsy. Melody is very smart though it is like her head is a recorder she films and remembers everything she has a photographic memory. She was an only child for a long More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 21, 2011

Andrea rated it:

There are so many things I love about this book but a few small things that irk me (when they hit close to home but feel too contrived - sadly). I love that my son's 5th grade class read this, and I wish more did - and I mean both kids AND their teachers.

Melody (while clearly fictional) offers a fresh and inspiring voice to those without. I loved and greatly appreciated Melody's humor, tenaciousness and observations.

A thought-provoking addition to the libraries of those who More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 19, 2011

Mary marked it as to-read

School Library Journal (March 1, 2010)
Gr 4-6-Born with cerebral palsy, Melody, 10, has never spoken a word. She is a brilliant fifth grader trapped in an uncontrollable body. Her world is enhanced by insight and intellect, but gypped by physical limitations and misunderstandings. She will never sing or dance, talk on the phone, or whisper secrets to her friends. She's not complaining, though; she's planning and fighting the odds. In her court are family, good neighbors, and an attentive stu More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 16, 2011

Meredith rated it:

I think this book should be required reading for every child in upper-elementary grades (grades 4-6) and even junior high. Sharon Draper does an incredible job of climbing into the thoughts of a fifth grader suffering from cerebral palsy. While the main character, Melody, is held back by insurmountable physical limitations, she is perfectly cognizant of the people and world around her. Unfortunately, though, she lacks the ability to express herself within the confines of "normal" so More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 04, 2011

Andrea rated it:

Out of my mind:
Keep moving on
Melody brooks is a brilliant eleven-year-old girl, but no one knows it, because she has never spoken a word in her life. Melody’s life is filled with annoying doctors and teachers, who don’t understand her. Melody is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This means that melody can’t move More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 25, 2011

Sara rated it:

This was an interesting YA novel from the point of view of a teenager (maybe pre-teen?) with severe CP and limited mobility, who is very bright, and her experiences in school - being in special ed on one hand due to her near total paralysis, yet being one of the brightest students in school but being talked to like she couldn't possibly be. In a way, it's very harsh, but a good portrayal of what her life is like - finally being semi-accepted and going out to dinner with Trivia teammates, then r More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 13, 2011

Amanda rated it:

This was a poignant and touching book. In the beginning, I felt apprehensive about ever having a special needs child. The situation seems so heart-breaking. Then, as I read, my feelings changed and I realized that everything works out. That everything would be okay. In our congregation we have a number of special needs children and they all teach us so much. They are a blessing in our lives and I pray that we can be a blessing in theirs. There is a Primary song that my daughter really lik More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 11, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

Out of my Mind is one of my favorite realistic fiction books. I liked the way the author wrote the book in Melody's point of view. This helped me understand how she felt being the person she is. The main character, Melody, has a disease called cerebral palsy, which makes it almost impossible to talk or move in any shape or form. Melody has no sense of balance, but does have the ability to move her thumb. The first bit of text that really interested me was on page three. Melody thought(r More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 05, 2011

Jessie rated it:

I really liked this book and debated about giving it five stars. I loved the voice, I loved her thoughts, I loved her words. She truly showed the reader the power of words. Readers will experience what it feels like to not be able to walk, talk, or move anything but your thumbs. At one point in the book I sobbed it was so powerful. Of course my husband would say, that's no big deal since I cry a lot, but really I don't cry about every book. I read her book Copper Sun and it was also a favo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 29, 2011

Carol rated it:

“From the time I was really little–maybe just a few months old–words were like sweet, liquid gifts, and I drank them like lemonade.

I could almost taste them. . . . Every word my parents spoke to me or about me I absorbed and kept and remembered. All of them. . . . By the time I was two, all my memories had words, and all my words had meanings.

But only in my head.

I have never spoken one single word. I am almost eleven years old.”

Word-lover Melody Brooks h More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 21, 2011

Mrs. rated it:

I really enjoyed this book! Melody is a fifth-grader who has cerebral palsy, which has left her unable to talk. However, ever since she was a little girl, Melody has learned what words mean, and she has a lot to say, but has never been able to say them. As an almost eleven-year-old, she has never had a real way to express herself and tell people how she feels or what she is thinking. Although to look at her, people see someone with a debilitating handicap, but inside, she is just like everyo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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