Monday, February 7, 2022

OUT OF MY HEART by Sharon M. Draper - an empowering story for all kinds of kids

 

tipped over jar of fireflies against a blue night sky with one firefly escaping

Why you want to read this book: 

For some reason, snowy winter days make me feel like reading books about the summer. If you're like me, and thinking about those fun summer days, you'll love this wonderful read from Sharon M. Draper. The main character, Melody, is positive, has a great sense of humor, and has a lot of fun, even when she's worried. 

Melody has Cerebral Palsy, and the author did lots of careful research to make sure that Melody comes across as a real person, with feelings, dreams, and friendships. One of the best things about this story is how differences become strengths for the characters. Kids will especially like the very short chapters (Chapter 1 is only a page) and Melody's very engaging voice!

If you like this one, be sure to check out the first story about Melody, OUT OF MY MIND (you can find my feature on that book here).


Additional Resources: 

Sharon Draper provides a study guide on her website (created by Kathleen Odean), with discussion questions and fun extension activities, like creating a camp brochure and researching different kinds of wheelchairs. 

Check out this interesting interview with Jason Reynolds and Sharon Draper from Politics and Prose about writing during the pandemic, joy and why Sharon keeps writing: 




3 comments:

  1. Sorry to have missed you this week over at MMGM headquarters. Hope to see more of you in the coming months. Thanks for this review. I enjoyed Out Of My Mind and this sounds equally good.

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    1. Thanks, Greg! There are so many good books now! This one was really a lot of fun.

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  2. Like Greg, I also like Out of My Mind and will be looking for this follow up book. Thanks for telling me about it.

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