https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn en-us 2022-10-22 16:23:46 UTC 2025-05-01 13:36:57 UTC hello@padlet.com miyajordan22 https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351804299 Melody Brooks- An 11 year old who is the main character and narrator of the book. Extremely smart but has cerebral palsy and cannot walk or speak. Since she is unable to speak she isn't able to relay the information that she is actually one of the smartest people in her entire school.
Diane- Melody's mom, and caregiver who works as a nurse. One of Melodys biggest advocates and supporters. She is a fierce defender of Melody and will stick up for her at all times.
Chuck- Is a hands on father that is a huge supporter of Melody and always talked to her as if she was an adult.
Mrs. V- Is Melodys next door neighbor and watches Melody when her parents are at work. She sees Melodys potential in life and teaches her how to be more and more independent.
Penny- She is Melodys younger sister and Melody feels a sort of resentment for Penny after watching her grow up normally.
Rose- A girl in Melodys class who in sort befriends her and is one of the nicer people in the school to Melody. Despite this, she isn't an awesome friend to her and seems like she doesn't always want to be seen with Melody.
Mr. D- One of the teachers at the school, and the main leader of the Whiz Kids, he allowed Melody to participate in his class and was shocked when she did so well. However he authorized them to leave DC without her, which showed he never really cared for her.
Catherine- Melodys personal aide who is witty and fun.
Molly and Claire- Two of Melodys bully's who do not believe in her abilities to be on the whiz kids teams.
Storyline
The story follows Melody from the time she began developing and her parents realized something wasn't right. It then goes into the Elementary school program she gets into and follows several teachers, some good and some bad. She consistently struggles with not being able to be understood although she is very bright. She finally gets a MediTalker, a computer that can talk for her, and is able to be heard more. She is able to talk and participate in class and scores very high on all of her practice tests and makes her teachers skeptical. Mr. D and her classmates didn't really believe in her abilities, however Mrs. V encouraged her to keep trying and prove them wrong. She ends up getting on the team, although they never really believe she is a valuable member of the team. They end up leaving her at the airport when they took an earlier flight than scheduled and did not call her. She ends up realizing what is important to her, those that care for her and their wellbeing. ]]> 2022-10-22 17:21:52 UTC https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351804299 miyajordan22 https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351809169 What is the significance of the novels title?
It represents how Melody feels like she is not always heard and nobody truly believes in her fully. Due to this she feels like she's 'out of her mind'.
Did any of the characters change?
Yes, I think the main change in characters was melody, she realized that not everyone is going to except her and although that isn't fair, she should focus on those who do care for her and love her. There also was the character development of the Whiz Kids who realized they were wrong to leave Melody and apologized.
Did you feel a connection to any of the characters?
I feel like I can relate to Melody although its to a different extent. I think I always had trouble finding good friends and feeling excepted in school.
How would Melodys life be different if she was born before the 1980s?
If she was born earlier in the history is would have been a totally different story because the technology for her to be able to prove herself and participate in school like the MediTalk wouldn't exist. Her life would have been totally different in the extent of she possibly would never have been able to be integrated into a true classroom either. ]]> 2022-10-22 17:29:21 UTC https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351809169 miyajordan22 https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351814259 What was the Funniest part of the book?
Although it sounds twisted, I thought that one of the funniest parts of the story was when she was confronting the team in Mr. Ds classroom. I found humor in this because although it was so heartbreaking, Melody stuck up for herself and almost made the team look like a 'joke' when they offered her the trophy and she knocked it over and said she didn't want it. I thought it was funny because it was a ninth place trophy and if they waited for Melody, it would've been higher likely.
What was the saddest part of the book?
Although it was heartbreaking when her team left the airport and did not call, I think the saddest part of the book was when Penny got hit by her mother while backing up the car and broke her leg. This was sad because Melody saw her but was unable to speak and tell them. Melody feels great regret for letting this happen because she was upset with Penny and had her mom take her to school. She said she wishes she was in the accident because if she died nobody would miss her, which I thought was the saddest quote.
The most shocking part?
I think the car accident was also the most shocking moment for me, it was unexpected in the storyline that that event would happen. However, it was valuable because it allowed Melody to realize what is important in life. Her family and those who love her and their health.]]> 2022-10-22 17:37:37 UTC https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351814259 miyajordan22 https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351818678 What was the main conflict of the story?
The main conflict on the story was Melody vs. Herself. She was unable to express herself and she had that internal conflict due to that.
How did the author create emotion in relation to this conflict?
I was honestly puzzled by this, however I think that the author created emotion by this because although not everyone has a physical disability like Melody, I think everyone can relate to not feeling heard or like you are understood. I as a reader felt like I related and empathized to Melody for that reason.
What type of emotion or feeling is the author trying to evoke through this conflict?
I think the author is trying to get the reader to feel bad for Melody and feel sympathetic for her in the way that she isn't understood.]]> 2022-10-22 17:44:55 UTC https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351818678 miyajordan22 https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351824718 Describe how the introduction to Penny changed the families dynamics?
Penny changed the families dynamics a lot, their parents felt stressed because they knew their hands would be very full with Melody and a new child.
Where you able to predict what happened at the end?
I didn't, I think Penny getting in the accident was really shocking and surprising. However after she came home with no perminate damage, I was not shocked that Melody started to find out what was important to her. I think ending with her writing a biography for her class was a good full circle moment.
What do you think was the best part of the story?
I think the most powerful and best part of the story was when Melody confronted her teammates in Mr. Ds class and made them realize how wrong they were for leaving her behind. ]]> 2022-10-22 17:54:14 UTC https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351824718 miyajordan22 https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351828219 Did the author keep you engaged? How did they do it?
Yes! I was super engaged and into the story the entire time. I have read books were you can really predict what is going to happen next and how it will end, but that was not the case with this book. I think they made in entertaining by continuing to have twists and turns. Such as, even though melody was finally starting to be excepted she was still left at the airport. Also, how even though she scored high on all the tests, she wasn't fully believed in.
What is your honest review on the book?
10/10, 5 stars. It was very good, and kept you entertained while portraying a really good message.]]> 2022-10-22 18:00:12 UTC https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351828219 miyajordan22 https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351833182 2022-10-22 18:08:19 UTC https://padlet.com/miyajordan22/3dqkvnqvheoapzrn/wish/2351833182