Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind, based on her own experiences parenting a child with a disability, is a New York Times best-selling novel told from the first-person perspective of 10-year-old Melody Brooks. Melody is a fifth-grade girl who, due to cerebral palsy, is unable to communicate verbally and uses a wheelchair. The challenges and prejudice that Melody encounters provide a more intimate and personal view of the lives of people with disabilities. Atheneum Books for Young Readers published the novel in 2010. Other works by this author include Forged by Fire, Romiette and Julio, and Darkness Before Dawn.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of bullying, suicidal ideation, and ableism, including ableist slurs, represented in the guide only in direct quotes from the source material.

Plot Summary

Melody is highly intelligent, loves words and music, and has many things that she would like to say, but due to her cerebral palsy, she is incapable of verbally communicating in a meaningful way. Melody also has no physical control over her body and uses a wheelchair. Her parents are loving and highly supportive of their daughter, but there are times when even they cannot understand what she is trying to tell them.

As a young girl, Melody is cared for by the next-door neighbor, Mrs. V, who convinces Melody that she can succeed in the world. Mrs. V assists the Melody in learning how to read and communicate with a board full of written words and phrases, navigating her new computer, and preparing for the Whiz Kids quiz tournament.

Melody’s parents have a second child, Penny, and although Melody is happy to have a sibling, it is difficult to watch her sister grow up being able to walk, talk, and control her movements. Melody begins attending inclusion classes at school, allowing her to move into more challenging courses in the regular school community.

At school, Melody receives a personal aide named Catherine, and the two become fast friends. Catherine encourages Melody to become the best she can be and to shut out the naysayers. Catherine puts Melody on the path to obtaining a Medi-Talker, allowing her to speak digitally.

Melody does so well academically at school that she makes the Whiz Kids quiz team that will compete in a locally televised tournament. While Melody is thrilled to be on the team, it highlights the gulf between her and her classmates. Many of them are cruel to her, and some insult her openly or assume that she has an intellectual disability. Others are jealous of her intelligence, while even more are worried about the optics of having Melody on their quiz team. One girl, Rose, becomes tentative friends with Melody.

Melody’s biggest bullies are Molly and Claire. Claire insults Melody and mocks her movements and speech. She accuses Melody of cheating with her computer to make the quiz team. Melody receives no help from her history teacher and quiz team moderator, Mr. Dimming, as he also believes that she isn’t capable of being on the team until she earns a perfect score on the practice test.

Melody leads her team to victory, and many reporters want to interview her. The team goes to a celebratory dinner after the event, but they become uncomfortable when Melody’s mother has to spoon feed her. Claire throws up on the floor, yet she isn’t criticized by her teammates. Melody wonders why there is a double standard for her.

The next day, Melody is on the front page of the newspaper, and her teammates are sullen. Melody studies diligently for weeks before the national tournament in Washington, D.C. When Melody and her family arrive at the airport, they find out their flight is canceled and the entire quiz team has already taken an earlier flight. No one bothered to contact Melody’s family.

The team loses without Melody there to help them. Melody is hurt and angry but insists on going to school. Her mother, ill and irritated, agrees to drive Melody to school. As they back out of the driveway, Melody verbalizes and tries to take the car keys; Penny has run behind the car, and Melody’s mother hits her. Melody fears that Penny will die, but Penny recovers.

At school, Melody’s teammates attempt to apologize for leaving her behind. They offer her their plastic ninth-place trophy, but Melody knocks it to the ground, and it smashes into pieces. She tells the students they deserve the award, then motors her wheelchair out of the classroom.