When Melody's mother who is a nurse arrives home, Melody using her Medi-Talker that she calls Elvira, tells her mother that she wants to go to summer camp. The Medi-Talker allows Melody to communicate with her family and those around her. When she shows her mom the information on Green Glades Therapeutic Recreational Camp, her mom and Mrs. V just seem like they might be on board. The camp offers four girls per cabin with their own individual counselor, boating, hiking, swimming and nightly campfires along with ziplining and even horseback riding! Although it's late June and there are only a few spots left, Melody's mother downloads all the paperwork for the camp and they send off the application.
However the next day, they receive a reply that all the spots are taken and that Melody has been placed on a waiting list. This is devastating to Melody whose heart was set on attending the camp. But then a few days later, with a sudden cancellation, Melody finds herself headed to Camp Green Glades facing a whole new set of experiences she never ever imagined.
There are numerous shopping trips to buy new shorts, Nikes and jeans. Finally Sunday morning arrives and Melody along with her four-year-old sister Penny, and her parents make the two hour drive to the camp. On the way Melody begins experiencing panic and doubts about attending camp. When they arrive, Melody and her family are greeted by Cassie the camp director and given a tour by Melody's camp counselor, Trinity.
Melody's still not certain she wants to stay but as the day goes on, that uncertainty changes into a determination to meet this new challenge head-on!
Discussion
Out Of My Heart is the sequel to Draper's popular novel, Out Of My Mind about a young girl with cerebral palsy.
In this story Melody is beginning to grow up and wants to have the same life experiences as her peers. One of those experiences is that of going to summer camp.
Melody overcomes her fears and not only participates fully in all the activities in the camp but she also has her first crush and even manages to survive a ride on a runaway horse! Draper details all of these experiences in a day by day account that is both interesting but at times tedious too. But in reading through all that Melody experiences at camp, we see a young girl on the verge of her teen years who is both intelligent and courageous.
Green Glades offers Melody the chance to make real friends for the first time in her life and for people to see the real Melody, to see past her disability and to what she can do. One night Melody reflects on the atmosphere of the camp. "And that made me think about how here at camp, no one was doing what so many people I've met seem to do. Lots of folks still have a tendency to just look at me from the outside. They notice the wheelchair and the head wobbling and the fact that my hands just can't hold still. I drool sometimes -- which, yes, is totally embarrassing. Folks don't often look deep enough to see the kid who knows the names of every single bone in the human body. I'm almost twelve, but I read on a twelfth-grade level."
When Melody makes a close friend in Noah Abercrombie, she tells him "I'd give anything for people to see me first, not my chair, and to do more stuff on my own, like hanging out with my best friend...if I had one." She discovers that she does have a best friend in Noah who holds her hand.
To that end the camp gives Melody and the other campers the chance to "fit in". Whether it was sitting around the campfire or playing in the park Melody finds herself and the other campers as "insiders instead of the outsiders for a change."
Camp widens Melody's perspective, showing her the possibilities to be independent. She and the other girls in her group, Jocelyn, Athena and Karyn assert a bit of that independence when they ask their counselors to be able to spend time alone together. And when she returns home she's determined to see if she can make better playgrounds in her town for kids like her.
Overall, Out Of My Heart is a fitting conclusion to Melody's story from Out Of My Mind. Some of the musical references are dated and young readers may not relate to them. Tweens today are into Instagram and Twitch and prefer rap and would probably relate more to superheroes. It's likely kids like Melody, Noah and Jocelyn would have similar interests. It's also difficult to believe that someone like Melody would never have been in a pool, especially given that her mother is a nurse. Physical therapy in a pool would probably be something a child with cerebral palsy would definitely have experienced, particularly by the age of eleven.
Despite these obvious inconsistencies, Draper has crafted a lovable heroine whose determination to become the master of her own life will resonate with young tweens. Out of My Heart encourages everyone to really see the person behind whatever physical, mental or emotional challenge they may have.
Book Details:
Out Of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper
Toronto: A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book 2021
342 pp.
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