Sharon M. Draper

Sharon Draper's amazing middle grade novel Out of My Mind is a favorite of both students and teachers, so I knew I would be in good hands with Blended. And that knowledge was comforting, because things got REAL. As in, I had to stop listening when I sensed something coming because I knew if I kept listening I would be trapped in my driveway. And then I worried about the characters all night. And when I did continue the next day I arrived at school a runny-nosed mess from ugly crying in the show more car. But I trusted Sharon Draper wouldn't do something too awful to me, and my trust was rewarded.

So you should read Blended. She does an amazing job portraying the anger, uncertainty, and helplessness of a child whose parents have divorced and who now divides time into "mom's week" and "dad's week." And the confusing, messy process of adding future stepparents and step-siblings to the mix (I absolutely love all of the "steps" in this book and wish every child could be so lucky). On top of all of this, mom is white and dad is black, so Isabella (dad's name for her)/Izzy (mom's name for her) also has the turmoil of being a mixed-race child. The majority of the story takes place in Isabella's 6th grade year, a year of burgeoning awareness of social and racial issues. And the issues become personal. A class discussion of the Civil Right Movement becomes heated and the aftermath is ugly. Isabella sees racial profiling first-hand, and experiences some casual, more thoughtless than deliberately hurtful racism that still hurts no matter what the intent was. She has wonderfully strong adults in her life who help her process and cope, but who also are not perfect and can behave toward each other in a way that adds rather than relieves the turmoil. I love this strong, brave girl and thought the book was very well done. show less

"Out of My Mind" is one of my favorite all-time books, partially because I connected so personally to the main character Melody. My aunt was born with cerebral palsy and was never able to speak and wasn't expected to live past a couple of years old. (She lived to be 55!!) I admire how Sharon Draper was able to capture the thoughts, emotions and intelligence of Melody throughout the novel. I also appreciated how realistic she was -- showing both positive thoughts and negative feelings show more throughout. I actually recommend this book for grade levels four to six and feel it is a wonderful book for students to develop empathy and understanding of students who are differently abled. I feel that this is one of the most powerful books written for that purpose and think I would feel this way despite my personal connection. show less

When I read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper I didn't know what to expect, but I was pulled in by Melody’s story. My heart went out to her knowing that she was just like everybody else inside. I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be to have everyone misunderstand my wants and needs! This book was a reminder that although we all know that most people are similar, no matter how they look; most of us don't treat them that way. I realized how important it is to remember that any one of us show more could look or seem one way to others, but inside we could be someone totally different. It was so eye-opening to watch Melody puzzle through the world around her and try to fit it in. I highly recommend this book to kids from third grade and up. Adults everywhere will also enjoy the story and will learn a thing or two. Anyone who has ever felt misunderstood will relate to Melody and the struggles she's going through. You'll have to read this one to find out how it all works out! Since I have finished it, I have been thinking about the way I might treat people without even realizing it. I look forward to reading more books by this author! show less

I listened to this on audiobook. It's not my preferred method for this kind of story, but I am glad I was able to experience this story again. Audiobooks count as reading. I read this in paperback a decade after it had originally been published. Now, nearly a decade after that, the audiobook was still available so I did that. I had remembered several grief and loss plot points here, but was surprised to find out I had forgotten so much about other relationships and social commentaries that show more fill out the book. What a welcome examination of themes. It's so current, even twenty years after it was first published. This aged extremely well. The portrayal of depression is super accurate. The way suicidal thinking is portrayed and handled by others in this book is--I was so glad to see it treated with--the author was never preachy. The author didn't--she was telling a story, and she did very well. I remembered how it would end, but found myself hoping the book would somehow end differently. I was invested in the characters and their relationships to one another, and how each experienced the world.

Congratulations to the stable of voice actors and sound professionals on their success with this book. Congratulations to the author for her success. I'm glad this is still available after all this time. show less