Out of My Mind (Out of My Mind, #1) in Mock Newbery 2026

May 10, 2010 Dest rated it it was ok

Shelves: middle-grade, sad, people-with-disabilities, school

Many people love love love this book, so I'm going to skip the praise for now (you can read plenty of it elsewhere) and go straight to criticism:

1. The phrase "untouched in my hands" really bothers me. If a snowflake is melting in your hands, you've touched it. This line was probably meant to sound poetic but comes off as a failed metaphor to me.

2. I worry this book is dated already. Do kids in the year 2010 say "tight" anymore? I think Draper is trying to make Melody sound like an average kid Many people love love love this book, so I'm going to skip the praise for now (you can read plenty of it elsewhere) and go straight to criticism:

1. The phrase "untouched in my hands" really bothers me. If a snowflake is melting in your hands, you've touched it. This line was probably meant to sound poetic but comes off as a failed metaphor to me.

2. I worry this book is dated already. Do kids in the year 2010 say "tight" anymore? I think Draper is trying to make Melody sound like an average kid, but to me she sounds like an adult trying to sound like a kid. In fact, a lot of dialogue struck me as unrealistic (i.e. an adult's version of what she thinks modern kids sound like). I've never heard anyone say, "She is tripping," without droppin' the g. Now, I still say things are "the bomb," but I'm a lot older than the kids in this book. Other things that I think will date this book: MySpace, TiVo, and Nintendo Wii. (I've re-read sections of the book and I think it's Draper's overuse of exclamation points that makes her characters sound inauthentic and corny to me.)

3. It strikes me as unrealistic that Melody, with her super intelligence, couldn't communicate better using her low-tech talking board. If she's a perfect speller, couldn't she spell out "I love you" to her parents? Wouldn't they take the time to allow her to do that? Better yet, wouldn't her parents seek out adaptive technology so they could communicate better with their child?

4. The villains in this story (Molly and Claire, the bad teachers, and the stupid psychologist that gives Melody her initial intelligence test) are totally one-dimensional. I get annoyed when authors create completely flat villains.

5. I thought the near-tragedy thrown in at the end of the book didn't really contribute to the story. It was a weird way to end the book, like the author wanted to crank up the melodrama in the end and she overdid it.

6. This is a personal issue: I went to elementary school with a boy who had CP and he spent only part of each day away from the rest of our class. If this was the case in the 1980s, it's hard for me to believe that educators in the 21st Century have regressed into the situation Melody finds herself in. I loved the first chapter of this book, but I grew more and more skeptical as it went on. (Update: Many people have told me in the comments that it *is* common for children with disabilities to be completely segregated from the rest of the school. Instead of removing this criticism, I will leave it because it shows that what strikes one reader as unrealistic can be all too realistic for another reader. Thanks, commenters.)

To conclude my review I want to say: I'm not heartless! I think this story has the potential to really spark empathy. But this book had a lot of shortcomings and I'm not one to ignore them just because the subject matter is important. I believe this could have been a much better book. (When I first reviewed this book it had Newbery buzz and in my opinion it's not Newbery caliber.)

Update: I just read something by the author Patrick Ness on School Library Journal's Battle of the Books 2014. He said there are too many books he calls CBAITS, which stands for Crappy Books About Important Things. I was like, yes! I wouldn't go so far as to call Out of My Mind a crappy book, but I do think its important subject matter made some reviewers forgive or ignore its literary flaws.

Another update: I see that Disney is making this into a movie, so I'll probably have a fresh crop of commenters mad at me for this negative review. To those who love this book: I'm glad you love this book! It's ok for you to love it and for me to dislike it. We can still be friends. ...more

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Nov 18, 2010 Jean rated it liked it

I'm not giving this book more than 3 stars for several reasons. 1. The references such as some of the vocabulary and technology will date this book very quickly. Kids don't use MySpace anymore, so it is already dated in that regard. Phrases like "snap" are becoming outdated, too. So I'm thinking that in two or three years this will lose its currency and interest for kids. 2. The mean girls are just too mean. I was not surprised at the major crises precipitated by these girls and they felt very o ...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Jennifer rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, strongfemalecharacters, realistic, kids, 2012reads, caudill2013, bluestem2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 11, 2010 Jess Gill rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrens-fiction, favorite-childrens-fiction

great children's book about a child with a disability. doesn't shy away from the vast array of emotions and social interactions that come with a significant disability (in this book it's cerebal palsey). ...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Kate Hastings rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-school, jfic-middle-grades-4-6, favorites

Grades 4-6. RL 700. Melody is 11 and has never spoken a word in her life. She has cerebral palsy. Her mind is sharp, but she has no way to convey her thoughts or emotions to others. Her life changes significantly with the help of her parents, aides and teachers. She gets a dog. A younger sister is born. And she gets a computer that allows her to talk. The school begins to include her classmates in "regular" classes and it is here that she begins to come into her own. She joins a quiz team. It se ...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrensbooks

What an amazing book. Can't wait to review it. Trying to decide its best use with my class this year -- whole class read aloud or a parent/student book club.

I read it on Kindle, but I would love to know if Sharon Draper spoke with children like the main character in this book. Was that info included in the real book? ...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Jess rated it liked it

Shelves: juv, bookgroup-kids

While this is a fascinating look at the experiences of a very bright but profoundly disabled child, it never quite moves past that premise. It's a sobering, but never completely depressing story about a girl who has been trapped in her own mind for eleven years, just now getting access to the means to communicate. A bit of plot is thrown in, once Melody has the means to communicate, but it's not particularly compelling. Her daily life will be gripping to the kinds of readers who enjoy a peek int ...more

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May 31, 2010 Maria rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-keeper, own, children-s-literature, 2010

An incredible story...it will be my first class read aloud in fifth grade come September.

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Feb 25, 2012 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kidlit

Golden Dragon, 2012

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Jul 03, 2010 Barbara rated it really liked it

Shelves: mock-newbery-2011

Though this was a powerful story and very well-told, I felt it was unrealistic. I wish I didn't feel that way but I just didn't feel the total story had its basis in possibility or reality. I can only wish that the phenomenally helpful people surrounding the protagonist really could be there for those who have disabilities like cerebral palsy. Newbery? It's the kind of book that might make it. Not for me, though. ...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Michele rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile-8-12

I thought this was a great read. It would be excellent for mid graders to read to help them overcome misconceptions about people with disabilities and to create some good discussion. I've heard a lot of criticism about how Melody Brooks was portrayed, but I think if we remember the audience this is aimed at it becomes appropriate. Baby steps here readers, baby steps. ...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Cheryl Meibos rated it really liked it

Shelves: 5th-graders, 6th-graders

I liked going inside the mind of a young girl with cerebral palsy. She can
only use her thumbs and smile, but needs help with everything else, so people assume she has low intelligence, which is an incorrect assumption. She learns to communicate, which is such a life
changing event. I think I will view disabled people a little differently now.

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Mar 29, 2010 Shannon rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012, 2012-13-read-alouds, 2010

Wow, what a great little book. This would be an excellent companion to Cynthia Lord's "Rules." Starts out like an after school special, but has a really satisfying pace and a great ending. Read 3/29/12

Reread 12/4/12. Even better this time through. LOVED THE ENDING STILL. ...more

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