I fell in love with this book as soon as I read the first chapter. I mean seriously, how can you not love Melody instantly? She is adorable, loving, kind, intelligent. And gosh, I feel sorry for her! But not in a way like when people say, "Oh bless her heart," but more like because I know she has SO much to offer and contribute to the world, but is restricted by a stupid disease. I think middle school students will also fall in love with the story and its characters. I also think that the author addresses issues that are common in schools and that are not always comfortable. These issues, like bullying and special needs students, absolutely need to be addressed. I think it also helps when these kinds of issues are not pushed onto kids through lecturing, but through the medium of a novel or something similar. I also love that Melody is extremely intelligent despite her physical disability. Most kids do not realize that one is not dependent upon the other in certain cases. How often do we just assume that someone who may have physical disabilities is not as smart as one who does not? This story is a great example of a counterexample. I have the same opinion of this book in a lot of ways as I did about Wonder. It would not hurt for every middle school student to read it. I really think it could revolutionize the way students treat each other. I would definitely recommend Out of my Mind to individual students as well as possibly use it for a whole class.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Out of my Mind
I fell in love with this book as soon as I read the first chapter. I mean seriously, how can you not love Melody instantly? She is adorable, loving, kind, intelligent. And gosh, I feel sorry for her! But not in a way like when people say, "Oh bless her heart," but more like because I know she has SO much to offer and contribute to the world, but is restricted by a stupid disease. I think middle school students will also fall in love with the story and its characters. I also think that the author addresses issues that are common in schools and that are not always comfortable. These issues, like bullying and special needs students, absolutely need to be addressed. I think it also helps when these kinds of issues are not pushed onto kids through lecturing, but through the medium of a novel or something similar. I also love that Melody is extremely intelligent despite her physical disability. Most kids do not realize that one is not dependent upon the other in certain cases. How often do we just assume that someone who may have physical disabilities is not as smart as one who does not? This story is a great example of a counterexample. I have the same opinion of this book in a lot of ways as I did about Wonder. It would not hurt for every middle school student to read it. I really think it could revolutionize the way students treat each other. I would definitely recommend Out of my Mind to individual students as well as possibly use it for a whole class.
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THis is a wonderful book that touches on so many relevant issues and topics that are perfect to address at this age.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the insights and ideas you have shared on your blog this semester! I hope you'll continue writing and sharing into the future.