Out of My Mind
By Sharon M. Draper
Leo Swaldi Period 3
Out of My Mind
Author: Sharon M. Draper
# of pages: 295
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Lexile: 700
Characters
Melody, a brown haired girl who was everything but normal, always dreamed of fitting in. She was just like everyone else but she could not talk, walk, feed herself, or take herself to the bathroom. She would take in everything she heard and lock it up in her brain. Melody could not share her thoughts to anyone, but that all changed when Catherine arrived. Melody and Catherine discovered a computer called a Media Talker, that would allow Melody to share her thoughts. When the outstanding device showed up, Melody became unstoppable. She decided to try out for the quiz team. A perfect 100! The Media Talker had changed her life forever.
Mrs. V, Melody's babysitter was more than just an ordinary babysitter. She understood Melody, and Melody understood her. She would push her to her highest potential and teach her that life wasn't always easy. Once Melody got her Media Talker and decided to try out for the quiz team Mrs. V was all over it! Every day they would study for hours. Words and answers burned deep inside Melody. She knew she would ace that test all because of good old Mrs. V!
Evaluating the Ending
Melody made a perfect 100 on the test, and that meant she was on the quiz team. She was the smartest person in her class, and she was going to D.C. As her parents drove her to the airport she had a feeling that she had never had before. A feeling of freedom and confidence. As she pulled up to the gates she realized that the quiz team had left her. Her parents were outraged. Melody knew that life is life and people will be people. Nothing would ever change that. She now understood that it didn't matter what people thought of her; what matters is what she thought of herself.