Photo provided by Katie Schneider Photography
Bestselling author Sharon Draper, author of “Out of My Mind,” will visit two Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. schools on Oct. 21 and appear at the Bartholomew Reads Authors Conference/Literacy Festival at Central Middle School on Oct. 22.
A bestselling author is planning a visit to Columbus to meet with students and community members.
Sharon Draper, the author of “Out of My Mind,” will visit two Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. schools on Oct. 21 and appear at the Bartholomew Reads Authors Conference/Literacy Festival at Central Middle School on Oct. 22. During the latter event, she will give a presentation at 2 p.m. and have a book signing at 3 p.m.
BCSC’s fifth and sixth graders have had the opportunity to read Draper’s book thanks to support from the Bartholomew County Literacy Task Force and other sponsors.
Chanda Welsh, assistant to the director of elementary education, provided the following synopsis of the novel: “Melody Brooks is a nearly 11-year-old girl. Her parents have done everything they can to help her live a normal life, but life is often frustrating for Melody since she cannot speak, move, nor communicate her wishes due to cerebral palsy. As a result, Melody has to fight to get her wishes.”
Draper’s daughter, like Melody, has cerebral palsy, which has been mentioned in reviews of the book.
Every fifth and sixth grade class has been given a copy of the book, said Director of Elementary Instruction Laura Hack. There are also class sets that teachers may obtain for use in their classrooms.
On Oct. 21, Draper will visit Clifty Creek Elementary in the morning and Mt. Healthy Elementary in the afternoon. Hack said that the session at Clifty will be broadcast to other classrooms across BCSC via Zoom or livestream.
“We’re just excited to have an author, a renowned author, come into our schools and be able to talk to our students about experiences,” said Hack. “And especially this book in general, because we know that the main character in this book has struggled. And so just giving kids who may struggle themselves the opportunity to see themselves through this character is huge for us.”
“Out of My Mind” is a New York Times Bestseller and was named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential Books of All Time.” Deadline reported in May that the book is being adapted into a movie by Disney+.
In addition to her school visits, Draper will also appear at the literacy festival at Central Middle School on Oct. 22. The event is free and open to the public, organizers said. It runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and will include live entertainment, book signings, local authors, literacy booths and door prizes. This year’s theme is “Literacy Grows Families and Communities.”
Karen Garrity, who chairs the literacy task force, said that organizations who have been involved with the festival and the project around Draper’s book include the task force, IUPUC, The Arc of Bartholomew County, NTN Driveshaft, the African American Fund, Cummins, Inc., BCSC, Viewpoint Books and the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation.
Photo provided The book cover for Sharon Draper’s “Out of My Mind.”
