Out of My Mind
by Sharon Draper
Realistic Fiction
Review #1
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
This book talked about a girl named Melody. Her body is unable to move. She has a smart mind, however, she can’t speak her mind. I gave this book 5 stars because it was inspiring and the book talked about tons of important things.
Review #2
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
Not everything is what it looks like! For example, when you see an eleven-year-old girl in a wheelchair with no ability to talk, the first thing that pops into your mind is mentally disabled. Wrong! Melody has a photographic memory and is smarter than the other kids in her school. She has to hold all her thoughts inside of her until one day Melody finds a way to communicate. I love this book because it raises a lot of what-ifs about disabled people.
Review #3
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
Out of My Mind is an amazing book that anyone all ages would be sure to love. It’s about an 11-year-old girl named Melody who is disabled in so many ways. She can’t walk or talk which leads to other people thinking she’s dumb. Everyone’s wrong about her because it turns out she is the smartest kid in the whole school. She has a machine that can help her talk and that’s when everyone’s opinions about her are wrong.
Review #4
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
A girl named Melody can’t walk, talk, or even feed herself. She hasn’t done those things ever in her life because of a syndrome. But growing up she can’t express herself and gets frustrated. Then she learns to communicate and do stuff like normal kids and gets put in a normal class for school! And in that class she makes friends and has great experiences!
Review #5
* * Stars (Just ok)
Melody is unlike most kids of her age. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a secret gift. Melody was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a very young age. Her gift? She has a photographic memory, which allows her to memorize and remember every single detail that happens in her life. From playing with her dad as a baby to her going to school with her classmates, Melody remembers it all. She is smarter than all the adults who try to diagnose her, and all of her classmates, who dismiss her for being “mentally challenged.” Little do they know. Melody will not let herself be dismissed for having cerebral palsy.
When I read this book in 3rd grade and again in 5th grade it informed me of how people have different situations. I learned that you should give everyone a chance and understand them since you don’t know their story. As an elementary schooler, this book meant a lot to me, but now looking back on it, a few aspects of it seem unrealistic. From elementary school me’s POV I would give it a 5-star rating, but looking back this was just a little more than a 3-star read. For grade school kids.
