Out of My Mind
Sharon M. Draper (2010)
“The smartest kid in the school can't say a single word — and nobody thinks to ask what she's thinking.”
At a Glance
Melody Brooks is an eleven-year-old with cerebral palsy who cannot walk, talk, or write, yet possesses a photographic memory and an intellect that surpasses most of her classmates. Trapped inside a body that refuses to cooperate, she endures years of being underestimated and warehoused in special education rooms. When she finally acquires a Medi-Talker — a computerized communication device — Melody stuns her school by qualifying for the Whiz Kids quiz team. But when the team travels to the national competition without her, leaving her behind at the airport, the betrayal exposes the prejudice that no amount of intelligence can overcome.
Read full summary →Why This Book Matters
One of the first widely read novels to narrate from inside the consciousness of a non-verbal, physically disabled child without turning that consciousness into a spectacle of pity or inspiration. Published in 2010, it arrived at a moment when disability representation in children's and young adult literature was almost nonexistent at the mainstream level. The novel has sold over a million copies and is taught in thousands of middle schools, fundamentally shifting how a generation of young readers understands the relationship between physical disability and cognitive ability.
Diction Profile
Informal first-person narration — conversational, direct, and emotionally transparent, written for middle-school readers but carrying sophisticated observational weight
Moderate