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Image source: Out Of My Mind by daniellesmonaco (haikudeck.com)

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Image source: Andre Hunter (@dre0316) | Unsplash Photo Community

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Choose one character. Why is this character important in the story?

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Choose one character. Why is this character important in the story?

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Melody's mom

Melody's mom showed how fiercely determined a mother can be when fighting for what she believes in where her child is concerned. Without her mom, Melody would not have accomplished everything she did throughout the story. She stands up to Melody's Doctor when he suggests they put her in a nursing home and tells her to "get on with your lives without her as a burden..." Melody's mom replies, "Let me tell you something, Doctor. There is no way in heaven or hell that we will be sending Melody away to a nursing home!"(Draper, 2010, p. 25)

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Melody's mom supports her and never makes her feel like a burden, although Melody often feels like she is. "Mom and I can sometimes talk without words...She can tell if I'm sad, and she can sense when I need a hug"(Draper, 2010, p. 84) Melody's mom understands her daughter even though Melody can't express her needs.  Her mom advocates for her to her teachers and does all of the work so that Melody can receive a "Medi-Talker", which will help her communicate with others. The book shows Melody's mom trying her best to balance work, her husband, her special needs daughter, and a baby. She is often worn out, but keeps pushing through to do what needs to be done to help Melody succeed.

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Image source: Rear View of Diverse Cute Stock Footage Video (100% Royalty-free) 2390780 | Shutterstock

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Did any of the characters change? If so, how?

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Did any of the characters change? If so, how?

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Rose

When Rose first introduces herself to Melody in chapter 11, it seems like they will become great friends. Rose bends down to look in Melody's eyes when she greets her. "Then she smiled. It was the girl with the long hair who had frowned at her friends for laughing." (Draper, 2010, p. 99) They sit by each other in music class and share secrets which helps Melody feel like she finally has found a true friend.

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Image Source: Jakarta Aquarium - ELSS Group Ltd (elssengineering.com)

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Soon after, Melody invites Rose to join her family at the aquarium. Rose comes with them, but when they run into a couple other girls from school, Rose joins them and Melody overhears her tell the girls that, "It's not so bad" to be there with Melody and her family. (Draper, 2010, p. 119)

After a scene where Melody's neighbor, Mrs. V gets after the other girls from school, Melody isn't too sure that Rose wants to be her friend anymore.

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Image Source: Ashim D’Silva (@randomlies) | Unsplash Photo Community

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The big change in Rose comes at the end of the story when Melody is excluded from her quiz bowl group. The rest of the group meets for breakfast and arrives at the airport early. They find out they need to take an earlier flight if they want to make their destination before a snowstorm. The teacher asks Rose to call Melody's family to let them know this change of plans. When the other members of the group shake their heads at Rose to not make the call, she bows to peer pressure and does not make the call. This results in Melody's family not being able to make it to the competition. When Melody finds out what happened she is heartbroken that Rose was a part of it.

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Image Source: Two Hearts Clipart | Free download on ClipArtMag

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If you could be any character in this story, who would you be and why?

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If you could be any character in this story, who would you be and why?

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Mrs. V., Melody's neighbor

Mrs. V loves Melody from the moment she is born and she is one of her biggest advocates. When Melody's dad asks Mrs. V to watch her he says, "Well, Melody is, well, you know, really special." Mrs. V says in reply, "All kids are special, but this one has hidden superpowers. I'd love to help her find them." (Draper, 2010, p. 41) I hope to work one day in the future to help kids find their hidden superpowers. She saw the potential in Melody when others didn't, and she pushed her to do things she didn't want to do. When Melody needed help practicing for the quiz team competition, Mrs. V volunteered her time to help her. She didn't have to do that, but because it was something that Melody was excited about, Mrs. V was too.

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Image Source: Caleb Chen (@calebchen) | Unsplash Photo Community

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Suppose you had a chance to meet one of the characters. Who would you want to meet and what would you say to him or her?

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Suppose you had a chance to meet one of the characters. Who would you want to meet and what would you say to him or her?

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Catherine, Melody's one on one aid at school.

I would tell her what a terrific job she did helping Melody, by listening to her and figuring out that she wanted a communication device. She opened up Melody's whole world by researching and sending the information home to Melody's family.

I would also tell her that although she might not feel like it, her job is important and her hard work advocating for Melody did not go unnoticed.

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Image Source: Special Education – Upper Dauphin Area School District (udasd.org)

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How did the place affect what happened in the story?

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How did the place affect what happened in the story?

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Mostly in a school setting.

This affected what happened in the story by focusing on how Melody dealt with the social and academic parts of her life. It showed her struggles with trying to get teachers to understand that she was more than her disability, and that she was just as capable of learning as her peers. The setting showed her desire for friends and to be accepted, just like other kids her age.

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How would the story be different if it were set in a different place?

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How would the story be different if it were set in a different place?

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This story would be very different if it the setting was different. This story could have followed Melody's medical journey and the setting would have been clinical. It would have given the reader a greater understanding of her physical disabilities and the struggles she faces due to them.
If it would have been set only in her home, the reader would have only seen her family dynamic and not any of her social interactions at school.

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How would the story be different if it were set in a different time?

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How would the story be different if it were set in a different time?

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This story would be very different if it was set in a different time. In the past there would have been:

Lack of access for Melody to attend school

No inclusion IF Melody was allowed to attend school

No computers/programs to help help Melody communicate

She would not have had an electric wheelchair

Her parents may have sent her to an institution to live with other special needs people.

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Melody gives background information about her early years and her inability to communicate

Melody meets Mrs. V, who pushes her to move and do things she's never done before.

The doctor encourages Melody's mom to put her in a nursing home

Melody starts school in a Special Education room.

Melody's sister Penny is born

Melody joins the mainstream music classroom in 5th grade, when the school starts introducing the students to inclusion.

Melody meets Rose, who becomes her first "friend"

Melody meets her one on one aide, Catherine.

Melody invites Rose to go to the aquarium with her family.

With the help of Catherine and her mom, Melody receives her Medi-Talker communication device.

Melody gets a perfect score on a practice test for the Whiz Kids quiz team.

Melody tries out for the quiz team after a lot of studying with the help of Mrs. V and Catherine.

Melody makes the quiz team!!

The quiz team competes at the local TV station and wins! They get to go to Washington D.C. for nationals.

Melody's family gets to the airport only to realize that their flight is cancelled because of weather.

They learn that the rest of the quiz team took an earlier flight without telling them, Melody is devastated.

Melody's mom accidentally hits Penny with the car when they're leaving for school, even though Melody tries to warn her.

Melody goes to school and asks her team why they didn't tell her about the earlier flight. She finds out that Rose was going to call her, but when the other team members shook their heads no, she decided not to.

Penny comes home from the hospital with a broken leg and other injuries, but she will be ok.

Melody starts writing her autobiography for a class at school... Surprise!! It's THIS book!

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What was the solution to the story problem? Were you able to predict what was going to happen in the end?

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What was the solution to the story problem? Were you able to predict what was going to happen in the end?

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The problem in the story is that Melody is locked inside her body, due to Cerebral Palsy. Part of the problem was solved when she received her communication device in 5th grade. When she got her electric wheelchair that helped her be able to move around more independently, which greatly helped her. The whole problem was not and cannot totally be solved, due to the Cerebral Palsy.
I was not able to predict the end of the story. I thought that she was going to go to Washington D.C. and her team was going to win. I thought her team members were going to finally accept her.

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What do you think was the best part of the story? 

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What do you think was the best part of the story? 

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The best parts of the story were when Melody's mom stood up for her when she wasn't able to herself. I loved when she stood up for her to the Dr., and especially when she stood up to one of her teachers. When her mom tells the teacher she's boring the kids with her songs and activities, the teacher says, "How dare you!".  Melody's mom reply's back, "I dare anything for my daughter, and for the rest of these children!" (Draper, 2010, p. 57)

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What was the author's message in this story?

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What was the author's message in this story?

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I believe the author's message in this story is to spread awareness for children with disabilities. By writing about Melody's thoughts, feelings, frustrations, and insecurities, I was able to see that Melody is just like every other kid. She wants to be heard and understood. She is smart and knows what she wants, she just can't communicate it. When she screeches, screams, and kicks to get someone's attention the frustration is evident. The communication device helps her, but there are times when she doesn't have access to it, like when her mom accidentally hit Penny. Through the struggle with her peers at school I was able to see that she wants to fit in just like everybody else. In the last chapter Melody explains how she's realized that, "Maybe I'm not that different from everyone else after all" (Draper, 2010, p.293)

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If you wanted to suggest this story to a friend, what would say it's mostly about?

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If you wanted to suggest this story to a friend, what would say it's mostly about?

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This is a story about an amazing young girl, who despite many challenges, choses to persevere and fight to make sure her voice is heard.

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What are the funniest, saddest, and most shocking parts of the story?

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What are the funniest, saddest, and most shocking parts of the story?

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Funniest:

When Melody gets her communication device and she programs it to say, "We all have disabilities. What's yours?", to introduce herself to snobby people who look down on her.

Saddest

I actually cried with Melody and her mom when she realized that her quiz team had taken an earlier flight and didn't let them know. Their heartbreak was very real and raw.

Shocking

The most shocking part to me was that the story didn't have a "happily ever after" ending. I fully expected Melody to be accepted by her peers on the quiz team. While they did feel bad about excluding her, there was no indication that they became friends.

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What is your favorite word, line, and paragraph in the story?

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What is your favorite word, line, and paragraph in the story?

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Word:

"Words" (Draper, 2010 p. 1 & 294)

This word is used twice in the book, once in the beginning and once at the end. I think it sums up the book so well. Melody has words, but struggles to be understood. It is that struggle that the whole book is based on.

Line:

"When I try to talk, the words are exploding in my brain, but all that comes out are meaningless sounds and squeaks." (Draper, 2010, p. 87)

Melody tries so hard to communicate and wants to speak like everybody else. When she tries to talk it doesn't work right and she ends up frustrated. This line explains with such detail what that situation is like for her.

Paragraph:

"When I think about it, I realize I have never, ever said any words directly to my parents. So a push a couple of buttons, and the machine speaks the words I have never been able to say. 'I love you.'" (Draper, 2010, p. 138)

As a mom, this paragraph broke and filled my heart at the same time. Her parents cared selflessly for Melody for 11 years without hearing those three little words. I can't imagine the emotions I would feel hearing my child tell me they love me for the first time after all those years.

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What is the most important thing you learned from the story?

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What is the most important thing you learned from the story?

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As someone who hopes to become a special education teacher, the most important thing I learned is to look at each child as a person with feelings, thoughts, and dreams, and not as their limitations. Just because a child may be immobile and non-verbal, does not mean they are not smart. Taking the time to listen to their parents and really get to know each child, will help me not become like some of the horrible teachers Melody had. This story helped me realize I want to be more like Mrs. V and Catherine, by pushing my students to be the best that they can be.