The author of the book I am reading, Sharon Draper has several other books, and is a well established author. some of her works are Just Another Hero and Panic. the other books she has put out are more of "The Hero's Journey" plotline books, and are more traditional in style. These books have a call to action , then there is some sort of adventure or task to complete, then at the end, everything is returned to normal, or at least everything ends happy for most people.  The book I am reading, Out of my Mind is a "w" plot book, where there are several rising and falling actions, but each one is critical to the story.

Another novel Draper wrote, Panic, is a story about a fifteen year old girl who goes missing at the mall. As her friends try to figure it all out, their own stories and social lives unfold, and it all leads
to an epic conclusion. I suggest this book if you like out of my mind because they both deal with kids  and their problems that they have while developing.

Book Recommendation

My book so far includes The main character Melody. And the genre is either realistic fiction or non-fiction. You can't tell in any way because there is no proof either way. The Characterization of the other characters is full, but extremely limited because Melody is disabled. As the reader, you can't see inside anybody else's head aside from Melody's, and this makes characterization much harder to understand, because characters are only able to be characterized from what Melody sees, which is a dumbed down kiddie version of what's really happening.
I think that the book is well written, and that the author did a good job of displaying Melody and her interactions with other characters, because it's hard to show what a special needs child is thinking at all times. Melody is a very thoughtful character who has feelings and emotions, but those are never shown to the other characters at any time.
I would give this book a four out of five, the four stars are because she did such a good job of addressing the topic, the missing star is because this book is very short, and I think that's because the author leaves holes in the story where Melody's life is taking place. There are so many things that Melody experiences that the reader can't see because it is in the parts of Melody's life that the writer doesn't show.

 

I'm about halfway through my book, Out of my mind and something exciting has happened: Melody, the main character, has gotten a medi-talker. This is a machine that Melody has wanted for years and years, and was just now able to communicate her predicament to her parents. The medi-talker is an amazing machine for Melody, because it allows her to type out what she wants to say, and the machine will speak it for her. This has a dramatic impact on  her life at home, and her social life. Though she can now communicate to everybody at school much better, some people would rather not have it that way, like Claire and Molly, who make fun of the special kids on a regular basis. Once Melody brings her device to school, she is able to Counter Claire's insults, answer the teacher directly, and can ask for certain things. Melody is now the center of many kid's attentions, and is looking to join a school activity.

Predictions/questions

 

The book I am reading: Out of my Mind is a book that leaves a few questions to be asked, as it is told only from the viewpoint of the main character, Melody. Melody doesn't understand a lot about what things mean, but she does know when things happen. For example, the book does not tell much about the backgrounds of the people that are hired to help Melody, or why they are there. one example is "Mrs. V" a character that appears mysteriously in the middle of the novel, and really seems to want to help Melody. Even so, her reasons for doing so are very unclear.

 Another strange aide that helps Melody is Catherine. She goes to school each day with Melody to make sure she gets to all her classes on time. It's obvious to us, (but not to Melody) That she is employed by the school, but my question is how does the school have enough employees for each special needs child? Where do all these people come from? "From the very beginning Mrs. Valencia gave me no sympathy. Instead of sitting me in one of those special chairs my Dad bought for me, she plopped me in the middle of a quilt on the floor." I've always noticed loose ends, so it drives me insane that there are so many things in this novel I can't decipher where they came from! In that way, I can relate to Melody, but my problems don't compare to hers.

      Characterization

      The new book I am reading about: Out of my Mind, is an interesting book, and the characters are well defined, at least the ones who change. Not many characters actually change, though, except for the main character and her parents, maybe. My first example would be Rosie. She is a round character, fully explained and detailed, but she doesn't change much, she is, and would have been an all around nice person anyways. "'Relax, Rose. We have until the end of may, and I'll walk you through each segment, one step at a time. Tomorrow we'll talk about how to write our memories'. Rose seemed satisfied, but I noticed she scribbled almost a whole page in her notebook"(Draper 109).

      Melody's mom totally changes at one point in the book. When she finally gets to hear her daughter talk. Before she was grumpy and irritated, but after this one moment, she realizes how really special her daughter is. "When I think about it, I've never said any words directly to my parents. So I push a couple of buttons, and the machine speaks the words I've never been able to say. 'I love you'. Mom completely loses it. She bubbles up with tears, and grabs Dad, who might be crying himself." This is when Melody's mother changes, she becomes more empathetic towards Melody and her father, and is more willing to help around the house instead of yelling at her dad for not doing anything.

     

Theme/Story

 
 The new book I am reading, Out of my mind Is a book about a girl with special needs who can't talk, or move her limbs very well. Despite her physical limits, the girl has photographic memory, and can remember everything she sees. I would say that the theme of this book is to always keep trying, because  her difficulties all have solutions, no matter how hard. She has to discover, and overcome all her communication problems, and her social problems. "I guess I figured out I was different a little at a time. Since I never had trouble thinking or remembering, it actually sort of surprised me that I couldn't do stuff. And it made me angry" (Draper 9).
     The doctors told her mother that she could be sent to a hospital to be taken care of, or enrolled in a "Developmentally challenged schooling facility". Her mother decided to enroll her in a regular school, and there her problems increase. Many kids make fun of her, "Claire laughed as Freddy tried to talk, and pretended to fall out of her chair" (Draper 95).

Divergent Article:Out of my Mind