Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper

Release: November 9, 2021
Format: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind.

Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp. There have to be camps for differently-abled kids like her, and she’s going to sleuth one out. A place where she can trek through a forest, fly on a zip line, and even ride on a horse! A place where maybe she really can finally make a real friend, make her own decisions, and even do things on her own—the dream!

By the light of flickering campfires and the power of thunderstorms, through the terror of unexpected creatures in cabins and the first sparkle of a crush, Melody’s about to discover how brave and strong she really is.

About the Author:

Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire, and was awarded the Charlotte Huck Award for Stella by Starlight. Her novel Out of My Mind has won multiple awards and was a New York Times bestseller for over three years, and Blended has also been a New York Times bestseller. She taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. She now lives in Florida. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.

Out of My Heart Review:

While you can read this as a standalone, I highly encourage you to read “Out of my mind” first to read Melody’s history.

I was excited about this book because I thought the author took it to another level, where it felt different than the first. In the previous book, Melody had the support of her family to overcome her challenges. However, here we see her in a completely new environment where she has to face the difficulties by herself.

Even the supporting characters like Noah, Jeremiah, Devin, Santiago, and Malik were memorable. It was fun to see how Melody gets a crush on Noah. You can see her mature as a person as she overcomes her fears and learns to make friends. I loved how the author added many adventurous activities for Melody to experience, like horseback riding and zip-lining. One of my other favorite characters was camp counselor Trinity, as she encouraged her to participate in new activities. Once you finish reading this book, you feel like the people of Camp Green Glades are your close friends, and you miss them. The tale highlights were when Karyn gets stuck in the mud or when the teams play the Balloon game.

So the bottom line is, is this book as good as the first? In my opinion, probably not. If the author had released the sequel a few years back, I would have thought so. But, in recent years, there have been so many more powerful books about disabilities and fighting challenges. Nevertheless, I do feel that Melody and the series in itself are a must-read.

Overall, I thought “Out of My Heart ” was a lovely addition to the series, and I would encourage readers to read the previous book before this one.

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will win a finished copy of OUT OF MY HEART, US Only.

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I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Out of My Heart by Sharon M. Draper Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!