Melody is not an ordinary 5^th-grader.  In fact, she is brilliant – she has a photographic memory, synesthesia, and a passion for words and music.  Unfortunately, she’s stuck.  Stuck in a wheel-chair, stuck in her own mind, and stuck in a boring class for students with disabilities.  Melody has cerebral palsy, and she has never been able to speak, walk, or demonstrate the brilliance of her mind.  Draper writes in the voice of her main character, and does an incredible job at frankly expressing the frustrating experience of having an immense amount to say and no way to say it.  Some of the secondary characters come across as stereotypes (the mean popular girl who is mean for no reason, the sensitive and sweet but shy friend, etc.), but Melody herself is fully-realized and real.  Some of the slang Draper uses already feels a little dated (“tight”, “the bomb”), but her intention of helping readers understand that kids who are born with disabilities are still just kids comes across well.  A fantastic book for helping upper elementary school aged kids appreciate what it means to have cerebral palsy, as well as what it means to be a sympathetic friend.