By Sharon Draper
4Rbooks: 5+/6, grades 5-8
Amazon rating: 4.8/5, grades 5-6
Good Reads: 4.25/5
Common Sense Media: 4.5/5, ages 10+
334 pages
Synopsis:
Melody wants to go to camp. Many of the students in her sixth-grade class have been talking about their summer camp plans and she has decided she wants to go to camp, too. With the help of the local librarian, she researches camps in her area that would work for her situation. She knows she will have to convince her mom and dad it will work out okay. Melody is confined to a wheelchair, can communicate only through her text to speech device, and must have help to eat, dress, bathe, and use bathroom facilities.
Thankfully there is Camp Green Glades, a summer camp and campground specifically designed, organized, and run for children like Melody. Though worried, her parents agree that she should go and soon Melody finds herself in the forest, meeting her 1-1 counselor Trinity, and getting set up in her cabin with three other girls: Athena, Jocelyn, and Karyn.
There are lots of activities planned for the week that Melody has never attempted and isn’t sure how she’ll do: swimming, ziplining, playing on a playground, riding on a boat, and dancing. Maybe an even bigger challenge, making friends and realizing that people will like her too, and want to be her friend.
Parental Guidance: low
The main character, Melody has cerebral palsy. Readers will need to know
what that is, and how it affects the person.
A couple of moments of juvenile, body function humor.
One moment of possible physical danger for Melody when her horse bolts.
Recommendation:
Readers were first introduced to Melody Brooks in 2010 with the book Out of My Mind, one of the best children’s books I have ever read. While this book could stand alone, I would recommend reading Out of My Mind first. It goes into more depth about Melody’s condition and her relationships which will help understand this second book on a deeper level. The first book ended with a heartbreaking scene which is alluded to in the second book but will be better understood having read book one.
I would also recommend looking up an article by Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times entitled “Her Blue Haven.” I’m loathe to admit that, like many people I’m afraid, when I had looked at someone with cerebral palsy my gut reaction was that there brain probably worked as well as their body. This article showed me how completely wrong I was and thus made Out of My Mind and Out of My Heart more understandable and believable.
Out of My Mind has become a popular book for teacher read alouds, especially in classes or schools with full inclusion of students with special needs. Out of My Heart is a worthy sequel. Book one was more melancholy in tone, and had a realistic, but not overly satisfying conclusion. Book two is a happier story and finishes on a positive note.
I would highly recommend this book for any student, but it will be extremely interesting for full-inclusion teachers and students, or siblings of special needs children. There is much to like here. The relationship that develops between the four girl cabin mates is a pleasure to read. One can only be impressed and proud that there are organizations that provide camp opportunities for these children (be careful, you might want to volunteer after reading.) The relationship that develops between Melody and a boy at the camp, Noah, is handled delightfully, balancing the natural progression of a boy/girl friendship at 12 and the awkwardness that their individual difficulties create.
The only part of the book that I thought was a bit forced was Melody’s inner dialogues. They seemed a bit much for a girl of 12, but she reads at a 12th grade level and obviously spends a lot of time thinking to herself so they may be more accurate than I originally thought. Many reviews said the story dragged for them. I didn’t feel that way at all and kept reading to find out what was going to happen next.
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