I cannot imagine what it would be like to have an intellect that is above average, gifted even, and to be thought incapable of learning. Melody, a spunky 11-year-old with cerebral palsy, has lived with that her entire life just because she is unable to speak.
I loved this book by Sharon Draper. Because it is written from Melody's point of view we can get a small idea of the frustrations she deals with on a daily basis, including spending most of her day in a special ed class where she is bored, not being able to yell out in an emergency, and just desperately wanting to be included and treated like everyone else. Melody eventually is able to communicate via computer and it opens up the world to her, even better it lets the world get to know Melody.
My 10-year-old daughter loved this book so much that she hoped there was a sequel.
It is written for ages 9-12 but I enjoyed it too.
Here is a fabulous study guide with discussion questions and ideas for book reports. (I'm going to have to remember this for my 10 year old):
What I liked about the book: Being in Melody's "head", experiencing things as she did.
What I didn't like: I had to wonder why she didn't have an advocate in the school to make sure her needs were addressed. She should have had the computer much earlier.
Was it clean? Sure was!
