Review: Out of My Heart by Sharon Draper

Good morning, Tuesday! I'm slowly pulling back to schedule after last week. I will be sneaking in a 2nd review a couple evenings until I get everything back to pace. So, get ready for a few extra recommendations...but isn't that great for presents with the upcoming holidays?

Today's read came out in January and is the sequel to the best-selling novel, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. It's a young adult read which delves into the life of a girl, who is handicapped due to cerebral palsy (cant speak and other things) but has a photographic memory (even way above and beyond that). In other words, grab those tissue boxes because this is one with tons of heart and emotions. 

OUT OF MY HEART

Out of My Mine #2

by Sharon M. Draper

Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

YA Contemporary

352 pages

Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind.

Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp. There have to be camps for differently-abled kids like her, and she’s going to sleuth one out. A place where she can trek through a forest, fly on a zip line, and even ride on a horse! A place where maybe she really can finally make a real friend, make her own decisions, and even do things on her own—the dream!

By the light of flickering campfires and the power of thunderstorms, through the terror of unexpected creatures in cabins and the first sparkle of a crush, Melody’s about to discover how brave and strong she really is.

GOODREADS   /   AMAZON   /   KOBO    /   BOOK DEPOSITORY  /   B&N

MY TIDBITS

Opening up to a new world takes bravery and is an emotion driven adventure...and this tale is exactly that.

Now, that Melody has learned how to come out of her body and into the world, and begun to discover what she might be capable of, the journey continues. Encouraged through the experiences with her class, she hears about a Summer camp only a couple hours away. After convincing her mother, she heads to cabins and the great outdoors...and with that, many new challenges and surprises. 

I did get to read the first book in this series, Out of My Mind, directly before reading this one and enjoyed the continuation, since I was curious how things would continue for Melody. Like the first book, this follows thoughts and emotions more than action and quick paced plots. I did find moments slow and, like in the first book, did catch myself skimming over pages...but I've always been hard on the more emotional reads. To say this isn't well written would be very wrong. It's well done and the writing flows masterfully. 

Melody is very sympathetic and finds a tiny space in the reader's heart to make sure she stays there. Her worries and troubles might stem from her own health issues...something which could make her more difficult for the reader to connect with...but the author does a great job at presenting these. While the reader definitely learns more about Melody and her personal hurdles, the situations also reach out at their heart to ones reader's can identify with as well in some ways. This makes Melody a character to love and identify with, and allows the reader to learn more about her and themselves along the way. It has heart. Tons of it.

I would recommend reading the first book before attacking this one because Melody is a deep and beautiful character. She grows from chapter to chapter and illustrates the bravery needed to enjoy life. The other characters add the right amount of support and edge to make this inspirational, and they show how life doesn't need to be and can't be battled on its own. 

This is a lovely read for those who love to dive deep and get to know a character for who they are.

And here she is..

Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire, and was awarded the Charlotte Huck Award for Stella by Starlight. Her novel Out of My Mind has won multiple awards and was a New York Times bestseller for over three years, and Blended has also been a New York Times bestseller. She taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. She now lives in Florida. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.