Out Of My Mind

These past two days, I read a book called "Out Of My Mind" by Sharon Draper. I picked it to read for my project because I have a low degree of Cerebral Palsey and went to therapy with kids with Cerebral Palsey. The main character, Melody, has a severe degree of Cerebral Palsey. She is in a wheelchair with no way to communicate except a little board with words that she can point to using her thumb. It is very frusterating to her because she is very smart. She remembers everything she hears. Being unable to communicate, however, makes people think she is stupid with the exception of her family and Mrs. V. Melody finds out, however, that there is a computer that she can use that she can program words, names, and phrases into and she can "speak" with a push of a button. Once she recieves that machine, her life gets better but she's still not normal like her little sister Penny. I don't want to ruin the whole book but it is an amazing story of the struggles of a girl with a disability and it shows that they are normal just like anyone else. In my opinion though, there is no such thing as normal. As Melody puts it, we all have disabilities. This book is great for Middle School kids. I see bullying occuring a lot in Middle Schools now and it addresses that issue with two characters in the book that bully Melody. It is a very well written, captivating book. I loved reading it!