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

 

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: 

DOG DRIVEN by Terry Lynn Johnson

I’m always drawn to stories about outdoor adventures and this is a great one with a female main character! Bonus points that it’s also a story about dogs and takes place in Northern Ontario.

Description from the publisher:

McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year. But at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness—a race she doesn’t know if she can even see to run.

Winning would mean getting her disease—and her sister’s—national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.

 A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl’s self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.

Dog Driven by Terry Lynn Johnson Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2019.

Why you want to read this book...

It’s a fast-paced read with a strong main character that has to make challenging choices. I learned a lot about Stargardt disease, as well as dog sledding, but mainly I  was in it for the exciting adventure of the dog sled race. I loved how McKenna fought through her deteriorating vision, snow and ice for her sister, her dogs and her friends. And she ended up learning something about herself, too.

Opening:

Whoever’s behind me is coming fast.

I peek over my shoulder and see a blurry line of shapes bearing down. Mustard glances back too, then faces forward and digs in.

If you’re a writer…

You might be interested in how the author weaves in the backstory about Stargardt disease and the details of the medical issues without dragging the pace and taking away from the action. It was interesting how she created fully rounded characters and showed their different reactions to the challenges of the disease and the dog sled race.

If you’re an educator…

This is a great book to have on hand for kids who enjoy wilderness survival stories like Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, but with a more modern take. For more stories about sled dogs, try Terry Lynn Johnson's Ice Dogs (see my review here).

  

If you’re looking for another great list of middle grade books to read, check out Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.

THE THEORY OF HUMMINGBIRDS by Michelle Kadarusman

'Hummingbirds’ in the title caught my eye—but I was even more intrigued when I discovered the main character was a girl born with talipes equinovarus (clubfoot).   

Description from the publisher…

“Hummingbirds and angels don’t need two good feet. They have wings.” That’s what Alba’s mother always says. Of course, Alba doesn’t have wings or two good feet: she has Cleo. Cleo is the name Alba has given to her left foot, which was born twisted in the wrong direction. When she points this out, though, her mother just smiles like the world has some surprise in store she doesn’t know about yet.

Well, Alba has her own surprise planned. After one final surgery and one final cast, Cleo is almost ready to meet the world straight on—just in time to run in the sixth grade cross-country race. Unfortunately, Alba’s best friend Levi thinks there’s no way she can pull it off. And she thinks there’s no way he’s right about the school librarian hiding a wormhole in her office. Tempers flare. Sharp words fly faster than hummingbirds. And soon it looks like both friends will be stuck proving their theories on their own.

The Theory of Hummingbirds, written by Michelle Kadarusman, was published by Pajama Press in 2017.

Why you want to read this book… 

Alba is a strong and interesting character, determined to reach her dream of running in the cross country race, in spite of the doubts of her parents and her best friend. I really loved all the facts about hummingbirds in this story, and I also liked the secretive librarian and the new friend that Alba met from school.

Opening:

Hummingbirds can’t walk. Their feet are too tiny. They perch, but never walk.

If you’re a writer… 

I admired the way the author managed to weave so much into her story, which is short compared to many other middle grade novels. What stands out to me is her skill at creating characters. All the characters have definite personalities with strengths and weaknesses. Interactions between them seem realistic, including the interactions between Alba and her mom. And I love the best friend relationship Alba has with Levi, and how they stay friends even after their fight.

When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics said I could ride along because Levi wouldn’t let go of my hand. The truth is I never would have let go either.

If you’re an educator…

This is such a great book to include in the classroom, because of the way Alba’s foot surgery and abilities are handled so sensitively. As a class read aloud, this would encourage thoughtful reflection about themes related to individual differences, friendship and determination.  

I pictured myself springing like a gazelle across the finish line. I didn’t want to break the bubble. I didn’t want to see the look Levi would give me again, the look that said I had no business running in the race. The look that said I didn’t belong in Normal Land.

If you’re looking for more books for 8 to 12 year-olds, check out the list of wonderful middle grade books over at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - Me & Mr. Bell

Another interesting story that incorporates historical events with fiction! This short book is easy to read and really worth it. It’s another one of the nominees for the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Award.

Here’s the Amazon description:

Alexander Graham Bell, Baddeck's most illustrious resident, and one of the world's greatest inventors, is also famous for the greatness of his compassion. It's 1908, and ten-year-old Eddie MacDonald shares the friendly inventor's passion for solving problems and for taking long walks in the fields above Bras d'Or Lake. But whereas Bell is renowned by many for being the smartest man in the world, Eddie is just a local farm boy who struggles to learn to read and write. After a few chance encounters, the elderly Bell befriends the young boy, and takes an interest in his struggle - encouraging Eddie to celebrate his successes and never give up. When Bell's long ambition for manned flight culminates in the Silver Dart soaring over Bras d'Or Lake, Eddie is inspired to find solutions to his own challenges.

Me & Mr. Bell by Philip Roy, Cape Breton University Press, Sydney, Nova Scotia, 2013.

My Take:

Even though encounters between Eddie and Mr. Bell were fictional, they seemed very realistic to me. I was rooting for Eddie to start to feel better about himself and recognize his own unique talents. I really liked the way he was determined to overcome his difficulty and tried to find his own solution. 

It was also great that there was no “magic answer” to his reading difficulty (dyslexia) and that he was still struggling and learning from his failures at the end of the story. The details about Alexander Graham Bell's inventions and Helen Keller were intriguing. This is a short book, with a well-paced story that holds the reader’s interest all the way through to the end. 

As a writer, I’d study this book more closely to learn about how to write and plot historical fiction. I especially liked the straightforward writing style.

Opening Line:

“It was spring 1908. I had just turned ten.”

Quotes:

“…as much as we should celebrate our successes, I suppose we have to be grateful for our failures, too.”

“I hadn’t been invited, but everyone there was so friendly I was sure they wouldn’t mind if I just stopped by to say hello.”

“And I knew now that’s what intelligence was—the hunger that the mind has to know things.”

“I crawled upstairs, fell on my bed and listened to the snow tapping on the window like grasshoppers.”

Other Info:

Philip Roy is the author of many books for children, including the Submarine Outlaw series and the Happy the Pocket Mouse picture book series.

He lives in St. Mary’s, Ontario and grew up in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

In an interview with Keen Readers, he said, “My best ideas for stories always come from being in nature.”

For more, visit Philip Roy's website.

Looking for more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday books? Visit Shannon Messenger’s blog for a list of bloggers reviewing great books today! Shannon is the founder of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and the author of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series.