Out of My Mind, By Sharon M. Draper

imgres-2Out of My Mind is a… so so book in my opinion.

It is about a 11 year old girl named Melody, who; can’t walk, talk, or have controlled movements (besides her thumbs.) Her doctors said she could never live anything near a normal life. Her parents said no but the doctors said yes. Her mom would get angry at them, but that didn’t change their mind one bit.

The only way she can communicate is by a board that has a bunch of words on it, made by misses V: her baby sitter. She knows Melody is smart, and Melody’s parents know too.

The school year is starting and it’s Melody’s first year of middle school. She is in the same classroom; the one for the kids with disabilities in the school. She learns the abc’s and 123’s again, and again, and again.

Her teachers say no, she’s not smart she’s retarded.  Melody thinks they think she is to dumb to hear them.

But now, Melody has a chance, a chance to have fun. Not watching the ‘normal’ kids play at recess. Her chance is a new type of class; one where she can be with the normal kids in the grade.

Sometimes Melody gets nervous and she drools and sometime has ‘tornados’ where she freaks out and makes weird sounds and kicks and  screams.

This is a knew beginning to her knew life.

And that’s where her adventure begins. It is kind of like East Side Story where it has a really bad ending. I would rate this 3 out of 5 stars.

Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Extra Credit by Tommy Greenwald

Charlie Joe Jackson’s guide to extra credit is about a kid named Charlie Joe Jackson who is trying to get extra credit to avoid going to an academic summer camp. So in order for that to happen he has to get straight A’s and is allowed one B. Charlie Joe Jackson realizes that he can do so by getting extra credit in his classes that are harder. He goes to the gym teacher and asks how he can get extra credit in his class and he says… Ha, I’m not going to tell what awful thing he had to do you’ll have to read the book. And then he goes to the art teacher and does the same thing, and the art teacher says that he can by, guess what, I’m not going to tell you!

 

You should read the book!! I would give this book 100 out of 5 stars. Does he have to go to the awful summer camp or does he get straight A’s with one B? You’ll have to find out! I really like how Tommy Greenwald came to visit our class. It makes you think about the book in a whole different way.