Don’t talk about them as if they are invisible. Hooray for Melody!Īfter reading Draper’s very moving novel, I believe there are very important things Melody would want you to know when meeting or working with a child with special needs. But this very courageous girl now has a voice, and she’s not afraid to express her feelings. She is catapulted into some exciting new adventures that are also fraught with disappointment. Melody world begins to change once she gets her Medi-talker. Melody is even more determined, and one day she discovers a special computer that can help her speak. She’s hurt that no one wants to be a friend and deals with constant bullying when she participates in inclusion classes.įortunately for Melody, she has loving parents who advocate for her, and a neighbor who drills Melody every afternoon on words she has written on flash cards to help Melody communicate. She’s tired of going to school and being put in a special education classes and taught the same nursery rhymes and songs year after year. Melody says, “I live in a cage with no door and no key.” “And, I have no way to tell someone how to get me out.” Draper has created a very strong protagonist who simply will not give up and fights to find that key to unlock the cage so people will know she is there. She shows Melody’s frustration in having doctors, teachers and people talking about her like she’s “profoundly retarded and unable to understand.” Her frustration and her inability to speak can lead to “tornado explosions,” which only reinforces their beliefs that she’s severely brain-damaged. No one knows that her favorite song is “Elvira.”ĭraper has written a very compelling novel and has given us a rare glimpse into Melody’s world. Melody has a photographic mind, and is a very smart. She is confined to a wheel chair, unable to move, walk, talk, feed and care for herself. Melody has cerebral palsy and is trapped in a body that won’t do what she wants it to do. She is 11 years old and has never spoken one single word. Love songs.” Melody’s head is full of words and sentences. Mountains of phrases and sentences and connected ideas. Deep within me, words pile up in huge drifts. Pomegrante…Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes - each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands. Themes: Cerebral Palsy, Intelligence, Interpersonal Relationships Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Fiction, 2010
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