Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun and share the link to your Tween Tuesday post below.Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: 3/9/2010
Add to Goodreads
About the Book: Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory and remembers everything she ever sees or hears. She's incredibly smart, but no one knows it. Melody has cerebral palsy and can't talk-instead she kicks when she gets excited and drools when she's tired. She's stuck in the special needs class going over baby stuff with teachers who don't understand her. Melody dreams of the day she can voice what's in her head and with the help of a special computer she might get the chance.
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I had been hearing things about this book for quite awhile and it kept showing up on mock award lists throughout the year. So I finally sat down and read Out of My Mind and I read it in one sitting!
Melody is a great narrator and one you won't soon forget. She's incredibly smart, funny, and charming but she is constantly frustrated that she can't share this with the people around her. We feel and understand Melody's frustrations. We spend the entire book in her head with her so we know what it's like to not be heard.
The story is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Melody's story at times is hard to read-her life is so difficult and always will be. We as the reader are getting a peek into what it's like inside her head and we see how smart and funny she is and it's hard when others don't get to see what we see. The way Sharon Draper makes this work is what makes the story stand out and makes Out of My Mind a powerful novel that really sticks with you.
As difficult as the story is sometimes, there's also lots of humor and hope. Melody's life isn't easy and we don't get the easy way. There isn't a magical ending where everything is all made better. But we still have hope with Melody.
Out of My Mind is a book I wasn't sure I would really enjoy and I ended up loving it. Melody's story is one that needs to be shared. Out of My Mind is a fantastic tween novel and would be perfect for classrooms and book clubs.
This one has been on my radar for awhile also. Need to give it a try! My Tween Tuesday is Girl's Best Friend by Leslie Margolis. Adorable book!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really heard about this one until it started showing up on the mock award lists. I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tween Tuesday post: The Girl Who Could Fly
I love this book! I am currently using this novel as a read aloud for my 9th graders. They love it!
ReplyDeleteThis book really opened my eyes
I really, really want to read Out of My Mind. I'm a little surprised it didn't get any ALA award honors. (That's true, right?)
ReplyDeleteI hope that at least one of the teachers at my school uses it in the classroom this year. We could all use a little practice with empathy and understanding.
Definitely adding this one to my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteI've used it as a read aloud for my sixth graders. ALL of the sixth grade teachers used it this year. I love this book!!!! Everyone that works with kids should read this book. Melody is my hero!
ReplyDeleteGreat view Teen Queen...You've talked me into it! I'm putting it on my ever growing list of MUST READS! :)
ReplyDeleteJill (www.whatchareadingnow.com)
I loved this book, too! I read it myslef then re-read it with my daughter a few months later.
ReplyDeleteI've heard lots of wonderful things about this book! I've really got to add it to my list.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tween Tuesday post.
YAY! I'm so glad to see the love for Out of My Mind. I was too lazy and never got around to making my top 2010 tween reads (need to do that!) but Out of My Mind is in the top three!
ReplyDeleteNice! My Tween Tuesday: http://acoker95.blogspot.com/2011/01/tween-tuesday-once-upon-marigold-by.html
ReplyDeleteI also heard a lot about this book too. It's on my list to get from the library on my next run.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised it didn't receive any honors either since people love it so. It's next up on my list for sure!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that there's some humor in the book too. I expected hope but I worried that it would be a touching novel but with few moments to laugh (and I get so upset at books where the main character is made fun of because of something they cannot change).
I love the cover on this one and I'm glad to hear it is a worthy read. I like most of Sharon Draper's books.
ReplyDeleteMy 13 year old daughter and I both loved this one--highly recommended. One of my top 5 of 2010!
ReplyDeleteI loved this book! I agree that the subject matter is so sensitive, we just don't want to look that right in the face.
ReplyDeleteI gave it my "Bizarro Newbery" award and Ms Draper commented!
http://thelemmelibrary.blogspot.com/2011/01/bizzaro-world-ala-winners.html
When I read this book, I cried. Several times. Sharon made it all so real.
ReplyDeleteGreenBeanTeenQueen, if you or your readers are interested, I'm giving away an autographed copy of this book through my blog-
http://firesidemusings.blogspot.com/2011/07/book-giveaway.html