Out of My Dreams

Draper, Sharon M. Trade Paperback, 336 pages Melody flies to London to speak at a convention about differently abled kids in this “warm and beautifully told” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novels Out of My Mind and Out of My Heart. When Melody saves an elderly back-in-the-day actress’s life, she ends up on their local TV channel. The studio is so impressed with Melody that they arrange for her to be a speaker at an international symposium for kids who are differently abled, and this year’s symposium is in London! To Melody’s utter shock and delight, her parents say yes. Yes! Melody finally gets to fly on an airplane, and many adventures in London await, including a cheeky interaction with a royal guard’s horse, becoming a little too acquainted with old-timey armor, and a run in with one of the most popular pop stars on the planet! But the biggest adventure is the I.D.E.A. symposium. There, Melody meets kids from all over the world who are rallying for greater accessibility and more thoughtful planning on how to make the world more equal for every kid, no matter the challenges they face. But as Melody’s time to speak approaches, big-time nerves set in: how can a girl who’s never spoken a word out loud in her life give an entire speech?