Review Detail

Out of My Dreams was a delightful return to Melody Brooks's life. Through her eyes, we get insight into the life of a girl with cerebral palsy who is unable to speak, but that doesn’t stop her from having an impact on those around her.
Melody is rewarded by the local news station with a trip to London after saving her neighbor from a fall when she alerted 911. She is there to attend a symposium with kids from around the world to develop ideas to improve the world. This premise allows Melody to open the boundaries of what she thought was possible regarding being able to travel and how important her viewpoint could be in making a positive difference.
In Out of My Heart we went with Melody to summer camp and experienced a very detailed account of the entire week centered on her being at camp. I assumed this book would be about her attending the symposium and every minute detail of that experience. However, the book centered heavily on Melody's sightseeing around London. We experienced the highs and lows that come from Melody trying to navigate the city as a wheelchair-bound person.
It was eye-opening to see how much more accessible London is for the most part to people needing accommodations than America. One poignant passage, was when Melody wanted to cry from relief because it was no big deal for her to see a play and everything was all set up and easy for her to participate without any added barriers to accessibility. It demonstrated the heavy weight that comes with navigating every situation big or small just to exist. The other stand-out event was scoring tickets to see her favorite band, being excited through the whole line, only to be turned away when the venue couldn’t accommodate a wheelchair. Her embarrassment and guilt at the impact it had on her friends, plus her anger made the heartbreak of the event deeply felt.
The symposium was a neat idea and I hope something like it exists. That part of the book felt a bit rushed and Melody’s idea was ok but also felt like an invention not much different from an existing technology. I was so wrapped up in Melody’s experiences that I would have appreciated more time spent at the event for which the book is premised. The book ended before Melody returned home making it not feel complete or at least feeling like I wasn’t ready to leave her world yet.
I don’t know if there are other books planned for the future to showcase Melody’s life, but this fits well into the progression of her evolving coming-of-age story arc. This book helps us see that her future is full of possibilities and does not need to be limited by her handicaps. Overall, this book is inspiring and does a wonderful job raising awareness about accessibility.