49 pages 1 hour read

Sharon M. Draper

Out of My Heart

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 1-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary

Twelve-year-old Melody Brooks is in her backyard. It is early summer in southern Ohio, and the fireflies are already out. Melody watches as a single firefly alights on her hand. She wills herself not to move because her cerebral palsy often leaves her unable to control her muscles. She studies the tiny bug, particularly its shiny black wings. The firefly without warning glows, and Melody feels as if the magical bug is talking to her. She sighs with happiness as the bug flies away.

Chapter 2 Summary

Melody watches from her wheelchair on the porch deck as her younger sister Penny chases fireflies with Mrs. V, a neighbor who has helped care for Melody for years. Her parents work long hours, as her mother is a nurse, and her father works in business. As Penny races about the yard to capture a firefly and put it in a jar, Mrs. V cautions her gently that no one wants to live in a jug. Melody’s mother arrives and joins the girls to enjoy the firefly show.

Melody’s wheelchair is outfitted with a communication device, a keyboard, and a small speaker, like the one Stephen Hawking uses, she likes to tell people.

Related Titles

By Sharon M. Draper

SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, Sampson Davis, Sharon M. Draper
Guide cover image