Genre Category: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Age Range: Ages 9 and up
Assessment of the book’s quality: Written in clear and simple text, in a poetic language that can easily appeal to young readers.
Assessment of the book’s potential use: The book is a valuable source to be used to allow children to read about the life, thoughts and feelings of a severely disabled child and to allow these young readers to form objective and non-biased understanding towards these children who may be their classmates or neighbors. The book can also be used for free voluntary and pleasure reading, providing the opportunity to face and understand the world of disabled children as well as to develop their own value system. It can also be used as a good source to prevent bullying, judgment, prejudice, and bigotry against children who are physically disabled.
Assessment of the book’s child appeal: Appealing for children who have disabled friends or siblings, who want to learn about the world of a disable child, and who wants to answer and solve such ethical questions and dilemmas.
Summary:
The novel begins with Melody’s words: “with Melody's strong, smart voice: "I'm surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions. Cathedral. Mayonnaise. Pomegranate. Mississippi. Neopolitan. Hippopotamus. Silky. Terrifying. Iridescent. Tickle. Sneeze. Wish. Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes - each one delicate and different, each one melting, untouched in my hands. Deep within me, words pile up in huge drifts." This is a realistic novel about an eleven year old girl, named Melody who is born with cerebral palsy. She is trapped in her own body, unable to perform most of the basic physical functions that the rest of us take for granted. But her mind is completely normal - she thinks, feels, and understands. As a matter of fact, her mind is significantly above normal; she is the smartest kid in her whole school. She also has a wondrous ability to see colors when listening to music. But the greatest tragedy and the problem is that no one knows it. No one realizes that she has a functioning mind and intellectual capabilities. She is enrolled in special education program in her school, Spaulding Street Elementary School where, she is in a goup with other with "what they call 'disabilities'." They're put in a group from ages 9-11 and they're "learning community" has been together from the beginning of school. (pg.29). But her teachers (with the exception of one) don’t think she’s capable of learning, treating her like a baby, as her schoolwork and instructions consist of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. Even the classroom is decorated suitable for preschool age children and definitively not for nine to eleven year old children, where wall are covered with "dozens of flowers...smiley faces", and "painted with happy bunnies, kittens, and puppies."[pg.30:] Of all the teachers Mrs. Billups was the worst who made these kids sing nursery rhyme songs (i.e. “Old McDonald had a farm”) and recite the alphabet every single day with them.
Melody proves everyone wrong when she is able to “speak” and express her thoughts out loud with the help of a device, through a computerized voice. People are shocked that she is like anyone else. Yet they are not ready to accept it. They still are filled with prejudice and judge her unable to accept the fact that she is normal and smart. One girl name Claire in the book puts it like this:"I'm not trying to be mean--honest--but it just never occurred to me that Melody had thoughts in her head"(pg.143). So when Melody finally can do something, can even speak for the first time, can express what’s in her mind, can even make the academic team of her schand get her team to the championship match - why do people still look at her as helpless and weak and think that she is “dumb”?
Reaction and Impressions:
This is a wonderful book that can changed the way people view the world, others, and people with disabilities. It changed the way I view the world. My daughter's music teacher's daughter (about the same age as Melody) had a similar disability, being bound to her wheelchair, unable to move her hands or feet, drooling constantly and unable to speak. At least to me and others. She mumbled and spoke indistinctly. But, lo and behold her mother understood her every word! In fact, she was the only one who could understand her. Therefore, this book was a revealing and an eye opening as well as fulfilling read. I am glad I read it. For it teaches not to judge or prejudge people just because they are different and do things differently and that a wheelchair is a defining limit and thus assume that that person is not smart and incapable of any sort of intellectual understanding and thinking. Even though this is not a topic we like to discuss, thinking that reading it can make us feel guilty or depressed, it was different and worth the reading.
"This book is rich in detail of both the essential normalcy and the difficulties of a young person with cerebral palsy."_Kirkus Review.
"Starred Review. Uplifting and upsetting, this is a book that defies age categorization, an easy enough read for upper-elementary students yet also a story that will enlighten and resonate with teens and adults."_Booklist.
"Draper's book is distinctive for the way she traces Melody's journey and her attempts to communicate from as far back as she can remember. In often poetic language, Melody describes how early on she "began to recognize noises and smells and tastes. The whump and whoosh of the furnace coming alive each morning.... It's impossible to close this book without thinking about the world differently."_Publishers Weekly, January, 2010
Reaction and Impressions:
This is a wonderful book that can changed the way people view the world, others, and people with disabilities. It changed the way I view the world. My daughter's music teacher's daughter (about the same age as Melody) had a similar disability, being bound to her wheelchair, unable to move her hands or feet, drooling constantly and unable to speak. At least to me and others. She mumbled and spoke indistinctly. But, lo and behold her mother understood her every word! In fact, she was the only one who could understand her. Therefore, this book was a revealing and an eye opening as well as fulfilling read. I am glad I read it. For it teaches not to judge or prejudge people just because they are different and do things differently and that a wheelchair is a defining limit and thus assume that that person is not smart and incapable of any sort of intellectual understanding and thinking. Even though this is not a topic we like to discuss, thinking that reading it can make us feel guilty or depressed, it was different and worth the reading.
"This book is rich in detail of both the essential normalcy and the difficulties of a young person with cerebral palsy."_Kirkus Review.
"Starred Review. Uplifting and upsetting, this is a book that defies age categorization, an easy enough read for upper-elementary students yet also a story that will enlighten and resonate with teens and adults."_Booklist.
"Draper's book is distinctive for the way she traces Melody's journey and her attempts to communicate from as far back as she can remember. In often poetic language, Melody describes how early on she "began to recognize noises and smells and tastes. The whump and whoosh of the furnace coming alive each morning.... It's impossible to close this book without thinking about the world differently."_Publishers Weekly, January, 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment