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If I could change one thing about the book I would change the events of Penny getting ran over by her mom. Honestly, if I would not have had to read this book for class, I would probably have stopped reading the book after this. This part broght up my worst fear as a mother and I did not enjoy feeling that overwhelming sadness when reading on to she if she lived. I do not feel like this would have a huge impact on the story if it was taken out. It could be replaced with some other sadness that wasn't so bad like her falling off her bike for instance.

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If I wasn't already a para and have seen the potential that the children I work with have, I would say it would be learning that even though they have disabilities they are still human and can be capable of extraordinary things. Since I am a para, I learned the importance of communication devices to those that can't talk for themselves.

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The significance of the title is that Melody is using her writing to get the words out of her head. This is because she can't actually talk so she can't communicate and get thoughts out to people.

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I think Melody changed throughout the book. She became happier once she got the medi-talker. She references Stephan Hawking through-out the book and comparing herself to him at times.

Towards the end of the book she became more confident in herself. Even after the events with the quiz team, she did not let it define her and she spoke up to the team. If this would have happened in the beginning I feel like she would have completely shut down.

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I feel most connected to Catherine. Being an Para myself, I felt her happiness. She went the extra mile supporting Melody. This is true of myself at work. I advocate for the student that I am assigned to. I found myself in situations where I have spoke up to the other kids that were rude or pushed him out of the way like he was invisable.

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Melody's life would be different because technology wasn't as easily accesable like it is today. She would not have had the opportunity to commincate and would have been stuck in her head, at least until adulthood when they would have became available. I also feel like she would have been secluded. Inclusion classes were not a thing and general attitudes of individuals were more decrimitory in nature.

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The saddest part of the book was when Melody's mom was pregnant. Melody was having a really bad time with it. The thoughts of her being to much of a burden and was better off in one of those homes for kids with disabilities was saddening.

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The funniest part of the book was when Mrs V was trying to make her cheer up after the first practice test. After she talked to Melody about it, Mrs V started talking about how athletes train morning and night for the olympics. Melody's response was "I can't run very fast." (Draper, 2010, p 160) This made me laugh at her humor in the moment.

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The most shocking part of the book was towards the end. I was not expecting the quiz team leaving her behind. I thought the book was leading to a very happy ending where she helped lead the them to victory in Washington DC.

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The introduction of Penny changed the dynamic of the family. Like any family parents have to split their time. That juggling can lead to doubts from the older sibling. Melody is no exception to this. After she was born I was happy to read that it didn't change too much. She didn't get undivided attention but they still made time for Melody and Penny equally I felt.

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Allen, R. (2023). Navigating the Shared Seas of Human Experience Through Art and Empathy. Medium. https://medium.com/dancing-elephants-press/navigating-the-shared-seas-of-human-experience-through-art-and-empathy-62953145ecd7

Draper, S. (2010). Out of My Mind. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Out of My Mind. IMDB. (2024). https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5012320/?ref_=ttmi_ov

Penrose, R. (2018). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/stephen-hawking-obituary

The Art and Science of Empathy. Pennisula college. (2016). https://blog.pencol.edu/the-art-and-science-of-empathy-its-role-in-the-classroom-and-in-our-lives/

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The best part of the story was when Melody got the Medi-Talker. I loved that she was finally able to communicate with her peers. I especially liked the part where she got to tell her mom and dad that she loved them. I really like it because as a mom myself there is no greater joy than enjoying my kids tell me they love me. So my feelings were there with her parents as I read that. Also, as a para I work with a girl with the same condition and wonder how much she knows. I started to relate my student and thought of the joys she would have if she could communicate with us.

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The ending to the story was not what I expected. I was thinking they were ALL going to go to Washington DC and win the championship. Melody was going to get to explore the nations capitol with her class. When I read that her class left without her I was completely taken back by it.

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The author kept me engaged overall. In the beginning I felt that I was reading the book because I had to for class and I procrastinated it. After a little bit of reading I felt I couldn't put it down. Having the book in first person helped as I know I do better with that kind of dialogue.

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I found myself caring for most of the characters, mainly her parents, Mrs V, Catherine, and or course Melody and Penny. I cared about her parents because I am a parent myself and I found myself putting myself in their situation. Caring for a special needs child can be difficult and I do not believe every parent can do it. Mrs V is in the same situation as her Nanny, expect I admire her committed because she chose to be in Melody's life. Catherine chose her profession but she went above and beyond for Melody and trying to understand her. Melody and Penny I cared about because they are children and my mom sense never is turned off. I found myself proud of their accomplishments and sadden by their tragedies.

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Honestly, I liked the book. It was engaging and relatable. The book was easy to read which is great because I am not a reader. It flowed very nicely and the ending tied it up well. I would honestly recommend this book for any person wanting to become a Paraprofessional.

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The main conflict of the story was Melody over coming her disability and growing into a person with her own mind. She worked through the struggles of not being able to communicate to communciating and dealing with her other peers and the life challenges that came with that.

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The author created tension in many ways. When the doctor was examining her IQ, it was very apparent that he was not actually seeing her and he caused tension with Melody's mom when he insinuated that she was more than they could handle by suggesting they put Melody in a home for disabled children. When Penny was born, it created tension as they navigated having 2 kids. Inclusion classes brought tension as well when "normal" kids had to learn how to behave around her. Finally, there was tension when she got on the quiz team and was ultimately left behind.

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I feel like the author was trying to invoke empathy by getting into the head of someone with cerebral palsy. She created a sense of understanding, that people with disabilities can still think like those without.