heatherbermingham 's review for:

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

4.0

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I'm going to admit something here that I've never said out loud. I really didn't care for Wonder that much. I liked it fine but didn't love it. I felt like the end in particular was a little bit of wish fulfillment - how we wish kids responded to kids like Auggie and not so much how most of them really do. I do think Out of My Mind is more honest in that regard. The main character, Melody, has cerebral palsy. She's nonverbal and confined to a wheelchair. She's very bright, however, and has many thoughts swirling through her head. Despite the fact that, once getting access to a high-quality communication device, Melody proves how smart and capable she is, most of her peers are still a little uncomfortable around her and some of them continue to underestimate her. While a couple of the worst girls are pretty one-dimensional, I think the character of Rose is great. She likes Melody and is obviously uncomfortable with the way some of the other kids talk about her and treat her, but she's still sometimes swayed by group think. I'd agree that the social studies teacher's actions in the last big event are pretty unrealistic - it's close to a fire-able offense, I think - but I do appreciate that the story reflects the truth that many teachers are also uncomfortable with students with special needs. As a special ed teacher I've seen that time and again. It's unfortunate but again, it's reality. Mostly though I just think it's an interesting story of a girl who has much more to say than she knows how to say.