Frustration. It’s a terrible feeling. When you’re strapped in a pink wheelchair without the ability to talk or move your body, this is a constant emotion. In #1 New York Times bestseller Out of My Mind, multiple time Coretta Scott King Award-winner Sharon M. Draper writes about Melody Brooks, an eleven-year-old with cerebral palsy. This beautiful realistic fiction novel guides readers through a period in Melody’s life where she learns to stand up to her disability and fight the frustration.

Although the book is meant for a middle school audience, it has themes about life that people of all ages and demographics can learn from. Melody’s journey began with her not being sure of herself, and after several events that involved Melody’s defiance towards the way others thought that disabled people should act caused her attitude to evolve into her being truly confident of what she could do. This story and the overall essence of Melody’s situation makes readers reflect on their life, their actions, and what they should be grateful for. They can learn that despite appearances and what things seem to be, everyone is human. The theme is told through an interesting perspective, without the boring and unoriginal stories of how the narrator is unrealistically affected by the “different” person. Two of the most clear antagonists in the story who are in Melody’s inclusion classes, Claire and Molly, are both rude and automatically say whatever offensive comment comes into their mind. Their actions combined with Melody’s thoughts about them convey the important message in the book that people can do more than their image suggests.

One aspect of this story that I really loved was the realistic quality of the characters and their dialogue. The story is told through Melody’s perspective, and as the reader, I could feel her struggle and passions for things. She says, “... it actually sort of surprised me that I couldn’t do stuff. And it made me angry.” Melody shares her thoughts and emotions with the reader, and I felt like I was living her life as I was reading. This is one of the most notable strengths of the author because her experiences and conversations with the people around her were written with a sense of authenticity and truthfulness. Similarly, Ms. Violet Valencia, most commonly referred to as Ms. V throughout the story, is Melody’s neighbor and mentor. Her loving quality and caring actions towards Melody are not cheesy and unrealistic, as most characters in stories with themes about not “judging a book by its cover” are. Throughout the story, every seemingly small action or word that a character did or said added to their realistic quality.

Sharon M. Draper’s inspiration for the book was her daughter, who, like Melody, has cerebral palsy. Draper does have first-hand experiences with what goes on in the novel, but she has always wondered what it would be like to be trapped in her own body, and as a result, she wrote a book about the struggle. Although Draper includes many horrific and inhumane experiences that Melody endures throughout the novel, she does not want readers to feel bad for Melody. Instead, she wants characters to be proud of her and to cheer her on through her obstacles.

The book is extraordinary, exquisite, and full of plot twists that will keep you at the edge of your chair when at the end of every heartbreaking and suspense-filled chapter. So, now it’s time to grab a copy and find a comfortable position on your couch with something to eat, because you're going to be there awhile. I guarantee that you will not move from your seat until you finish reading this heartwarming tale of Melody Brooks.