Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper

Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper is about Melody, an 11 year old girl with cerebral palsy. She is brilliantly smart, but has almost no way to communicate all she knows. Melody is confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk, talk, or feed herself (among other things). In this story, she leaves the special ed. classroom she's always known and enters the world of "inclusion" where she, and her special classmates, are included in the "regular" classrooms with the other students at school. Melody makes a friend in her new music class, but is also subject to snide remarks and ridicule by some really mean "mean girls". Eventually, Melody is given an assistant who helps her get to classes and works with her on her assignments. Melody and Catherine find information about a new system for communication - a computer that sits on Melody's wheelchair that is programmable with words, phrases, sentences - literally 1000s of words and combinations! Melody is finally able to get her thoughts out into the open. She even earns a spot on the prestigious Quiz Whiz team, astounding most of her classmates and teachers! Things aren't as great as they seem as Melody continues to be subjected to the quiet nastiness of the mean girls, but she plows through, seemingly overcoming all obstacles thrown her way. However, with everything going smoothly, there's bound to be some unexpected turns of events...

This is literally my favorite book of the school year. I experienced every single emotion imaginable as I experienced Melody's world - I laughed right out loud, I cried, I got angry, I was sad, I felt excited and triumphant, on and on. This book is told in 1st person through Melody's voice - the one she has never been able to accurately express. It goes through all of her personal thoughts, emotions, struggles, you name it. I wish I knew Melody. Wow, what a powerful story.

T4: A Novel in Verse by Ann Clare LeZotte

T4: A Novel in Verse by Ann Clare LeZotte is the story of Paula Becker, a young German girl who became deaf as a baby after an illness. Paula and her family struggle to learn different ways to communicate, but eventually fall into a routine - even her beloved dof figures out ways to communicate with her! Paula has to go into hiding, however, when Hitler began his campaign for creating the "master race". During the Holocaust, Hitler and the Nazis not only gathered and killed many Jewish people and Gypsies, he also signed a secret order to have doctors kill people living with disabilities. This program was known as T4. Paula had help from Father Josef and escaped the city for various safer places, always moving when the SS came too close to discovering her. At a homeless shelter, Paula meets Poor Kurt, an old man who slept and ate there every night. They decide to go out on their own to help other people who were suffering at the hands of Hitler and the Nazis. All does not go as planned, however, and they end up back at the homeless shelter. When the war ends, Paula returns home to her family and brings Poor Kurt with her. After he cleans up and shaves, Paula sees for the first time that Kurt, who is actually Walther, part Romani or Gypsy, is only 3 years older than she!

WOW! This was a great book! Because this book is written in verse, it is a quick read. I had never heard of the T4 program before and I am shocked and saddened by it. This book did an excellent job of describing Paula's experience and the facts behind Hitler's terrible plan, while keeping it all appropriate for a young audience. I was glad for the happy ending!