Wonder
R. J. Palacio
Like Melody, Auggie enters a mainstream school where classmates judge him on sight, and his warm, funny voice will appeal to readers who loved being inside Melody's head.
12 books to read next
Books Like Out of My Mind
If you loved Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Out of My Mind is told by Melody, an eleven-year-old with cerebral palsy who cannot speak or walk but has a photographic memory and a sharp, funny inner voice. Readers love being inside her head, feeling her frustration when adults underestimate her, and cheering as a communication device finally lets her be heard. It is honest about classroom cruelty and family strain without being bleak, and it builds empathy through a narrator who is never an object of pity.
Narrators who see differently
Rules
Cynthia Lord
Catherine befriends Jason, a boy who uses a communication book, echoing Out of My Mind's focus on how nonspeaking people have so much to say when given a way.
Mockingbird
Kathryn Erskine
Caitlin, an autistic girl, narrates her struggle to understand others after a family loss, offering the same deeply interior perspective that made Melody's story so vivid.
Smart kids underestimated
Fish in a Tree
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Ally hides her dyslexia and is labelled a troublemaker until a teacher sees her intelligence, a satisfying parallel to Melody's fight to prove what her mind can do.
Matilda
Roald Dahl
A brilliant girl ignored by the adults around her finds her power, delivering the same pleasure of watching an underestimated child outshine everyone.
Counting by 7s
Holly Goldberg Sloan
Gifted, unusual Willow narrates with wit and heart as she finds people who truly see her, ideal for fans of Melody's sharp observations and longing to belong.
Disability and belonging
El Deafo
Cece Bell
This graphic memoir about a girl with a hearing aid explores loneliness, friendship and assistive technology with humour, much like Melody's experience with her device.
A Kind of Spark
Elle McNicoll
Autistic Addie campaigns for a memorial while facing a dismissive teacher, capturing the same anger at being misjudged and the courage to speak up.
The war that Saved my Life
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Ada, kept hidden because of her clubfoot, discovers her worth during wartime evacuation; readers moved by Melody's determination will root just as hard for her.
Go deeper
Stuck in neutral
Terry Trueman
An older teen read narrated by Shawn, who has cerebral palsy and cannot communicate, pushing Melody's situation into more intense, thought-provoking territory.
Insignificant events in the life of a cactus
Dusti Bowling
Aven, born without arms, starts at a new school with humour and grit, a great follow-up for readers who loved Melody's spirited refusal to be pitied.
Show Me a Sign
Ann Clare LeZotte
Written by a deaf author, this story of a deaf girl on Martha's Vineyard explores communication and prejudice, deepening the questions Out of My Mind raises.
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