Out of My Mind: Chapters 26–33

by Sharon M. Draper
Born with cerebral palsy, Melody has difficulty communicating with others — but in spite of the obstacles she faces, Melody is determined to prove how smart she really is.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–18, Chapters 19–25, Chapters 26–33
15 words 1165 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. inspiration
    the act of arousing to a particular emotion or action
    In the midst of all the commotion Mr. Dimming seemed to get an inspiration. "Let's go out to dinner to celebrate!" he announced as the last of the studio lights were turned off.
  2. technician
    someone who is trained in a specific process
    We have an elevator in the back, but it went on the fritz this afternoon. The technician is coming to fix it first thing in the morning.
  3. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “I wonder if we’ll get to visit the White House while we’re there,” Amanda mused.
  4. unique
    radically distinctive and without equal
    “Because you are unique and wonderful and lots more interesting than ordinary fifth graders, I guess,” she says.
  5. clammy
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    “Math questions made me sweat.” I get clammy under the arms just thinking about them.
  6. curtly
    in an abrupt and discourteous manner
    “No, I don’t understand,” Mom says curtly.
  7. plaintively
    in a manner expressing sorrow
    “Oh, Melody, if only I could make your hurt go away,” she says plaintively.
  8. stark
    complete or extreme
    Then she turned slowly to the right, almost as if in slow motion, as she saw Dad come running out of the house, a look of stark alarm on his face.
  9. nauseous
    feeling about to vomit
    I felt dizzy and nauseous.
  10. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
    “She was alive and breathing when the ambulance took her, so I’m going to believe that’s still the case. Toddlers are very resilient, you know.”
  11. trauma
    physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident
    “Her brain? Messed up?” I asked. I had seen enough television shows on brain trauma to know it was possible.
  12. internal
    located inward
    She has some internal injuries, a badly broken leg, but she survived the surgery!
  13. roil
    be agitated
    Mrs. V spoons eggs into my mouth, but my stomach roils with worry.
  14. tragedy
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
    She reaches into my bag, digs around, and finds the card that almost led to tragedy.
  15. envious
    painfully desirous of another's advantages
    I’m never sure how much Freddy is aware of what’s going on in the world around him, so he surprises me when he zips over to me and asks, “Melly go zoom in plane?” He looks excited, maybe even envious.
Created on Sun May 22 14:32:38 EDT 2016 (updated Fri Aug 01 17:12:39 EDT 2025)

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