Anyone who knew Melody Brooks, the girl who couldn’t walk or talk, knows how hard she fought to make her voice heard. After reading Out of My Mind you will never again judge someone without knowing their personality. Shannon Draper has weaved together an excellent novel that can make you laugh out loud and cry authentic tears.
In the beginning Melody starts off invisible but slowly works her way to be known by everyone.  She has always wanted to answer questions and voice her opinions; unfortunately having cerebral palsy does not allow her to do that. She can’t tell her mom her favorite song no matter how much she points or screeches. When she tries to answer questions she can’t form the words. When Melody’s parents finally got her a Medi-Talker, a device that talks for her, she was able to stand up and speak for herself. She could say all the words she never could. For example, she told her mom and dad that she loved them. In addition, she could to defend herself against those who bullied her.
The best part of Out of My Mind is when Melody Brooks proved everyone wrong. If you knew her you would be very proud of her. Everyone thought Melody was unable to do or think anything. Maybe she couldn’t talk or walk or feed herself, but she could smile and laugh. All the words and pictured she ever heard or saw were trapped inside her. No one knew Melody was so smart. Well, that is, until she tried out for the trivia competition team even after everybody thought she would not make it. When Melody had taken the pretest and aced it her teacher said it was just luck, but it wasn’t.  She studied hard for the final test even when the teacher discouraged her. She proved him wrong! Melody was the first and only one to ever get a perfect score on the official test.
Even though Out of My Mind is such an astonishing book, the tragic ending is not my favorite. What her friends did to her tore her apart. Melody was good-humored and understanding. She was use to people judging her by her look and disabilities but these were her friends, she had trusted them. The worst part was, they had remembered her yet rejected her. How could they do such a thing when they knew she would never do it to them?
All in all, Out of My Mind is an emotional novel about a girl who would not let her disabilities holds her back. This inspiring book by Shannon Draper is a must-read for anybody and everybody.