I've seen this title laying around on other teachers' desks. I had even read a few pages, and I even put it on my mental to read list. I'm glad I finally did. While reading the novel I would say it is practically impossible to not get attached to Melody and relate to the other supporting characters. Her character demonstrates amazing resilience. As a mother, I could only imagine what it would feel like to have so many people doubt your child's demonstrated abilities.

Draper does an amazing job in writing a novel that tells the unheard story of a young student that is met with hurdles that go beyond her physical disabilities, which are plenty. In reading this readers are forced to think about life from a different perspective, and to hopefully spread acceptance and empathy of others that are otherwise gifted.

I would recommend this novel to readers that are in third grade or above. The content is appropriate for younger readers, and the themes are ones that pre-adolescents should be exposed to. That being said I would suggest a mini lesson on theme while reading the novel, or even after reading an excerpt. Throughout the novel there are multiple instances where Melody is treated unjustly due to people's misconceptions and ignorance towards her abilities, and a discussion on empathy or the lack of empathy demonstrated is essential.

An excerpt that demonstrates the power of empathy is from page 200-201, "And here, Miss Melody, is where you will sit. Right next to your teammates. I have rigged a special answer board for you, so it's adjusted to the height of your wheelchair." He looks pretty proud of himself as he shows me the setup. "Wow!" I type. "This is perfect. How did you know?" "My son is in a wheelchair," he says with a shrug. "I build stuff for Rusty all the time, but there's no way he could do what you are about to do." He kneels down so he can look me in the eye. "Knock their socks off, champ!" Rusty will be watching." (p 200-201).

The other ever-present theme present is resilience. An excerpt that could be read, after some background was provided, is from page 267, But as I thought about it, I changed my mind. I felt the sorry for myself shift to mad again. And the mad me decided that I was not going to sit at home like a kicked-around puppy. I was gonna show up and let everybody know they didn't beat me. (p 267).

Teachers could easily begin the discussions by first defining the terms, empathy and resilience, and then quickly create a chart or other visual that records examples and even non-examples within the novel. The next step would be to also incorporate times students could demonstrate resilience and empathy within their own lives.

Another lesson that could be done even before reading, would be having students conduct research on cerebral palsy. This is a useful link and the attached video could also help with helping students understand some basic facts regarding cerebral palsy and what a person like Melody must endure.

This is a book trailer for Out of My Mind

Books to pair with Out of my Mind: Anything but Typical, Mockingbird, and Wonder