Out of My Heart
Following the events of Out of My Mind, Melody Brooks decides she wants to attend this type of summer program for the first time.
What is a summer camp? (Specifically, Camp Green Glades).
After the school bans cell phones, the students at Branton Middle School begin communicating using these small, adhesive squares of paper.
What are Post-it Notes?
The protagonist, Mia, feels pulled between two identities because her mother is Jewish and her father is a member of this Indigenous nation.
What is the Muscogee (Creek) Nation?
This is the name of the main character (and the "trainer") who decides his dad needs a lifestyle makeover.
What is Carl
In a hilarious and embarrassing moment of "dad-ness," Carl’s father wears this specific, brightly colored outfit while working, which Carl finds to be the ultimate fashion disaster. (How To Train Your Dad)
What are pink overalls?
For the first time in her life, Melody gets to experience this outdoor activity using a specially designed saddle and a very patient horse.
What is horseback riding?
This is the name of the main narrator and protagonist, who is part of a tight-knit friend group that calls themselves "The Tribe."
Who is Frost (Eric Hayes)?
Mia travels from her home in California to this state to reconnect with her father and her Native American heritage.
What is Oklahoma?
Carl uses a manual originally designed for training this specific type of animal to help "reprogram" his father.
What is a puppy
This character is the "muscle" of the group and a gifted athlete, yet they are often the target of "mystery" notes because they don't always fit the stereotypical jock mold. (Posted)
Who is Bench?
This is the name of the boy Melody meets at camp who becomes her first crush and treats her like a "regular" person.
Who is Noah?
This school-wide event becomes the focal point for the characters' tensions, featuring a competition where Frost eventually performs his poetry.
What is the Gauntlet? (Accept: Field Day).
Because she grew up primarily with her mother and stepfather, Mia is very familiar with this Jewish coming-of-age ceremony, which she is preparing for at the start of the book.
What is a Bat Mitzvah?
This is the primary reason Carl wants to "train" his dad: he wants him to stop being so "eccentric" and start acting like this.
What is wants to be "normal"
When the author describes the school hallways as a "battlefield" where "words were the bullets," he is using this type of figurative language to show how much the Post-it notes hurt. (Posted)
What is a metaphor?
During the camp's final event, Melody overcomes her fear and the physical limitations of her cerebral palsy to participate in this specific activity over water.
What is zip-lining?
The "war" of words escalates from harmless jokes to bullying when students begin leaving notes in this specific, hidden location to avoid being caught by teachers.
What are inside lockers? (Accept: On the undersides of desks).
Mia notices a parallel between her two cultures through food; she compares the traditional Muscogee Frybread to this fried Jewish food often eaten during Hanukkah.
What are Latkes? (Accept: Sufganiyot/Jelly Doughnuts).
Carl’s dad is obsessed with this lifestyle philosophy, which involves living off the grid, recycling everything, and avoiding modern technology.
What is extreme environmentalism
This object acts as a "mystery" bridge between Mia’s two worlds: it is a piece of jewelry featuring a Star of David, but it was given to her by her father to show he respects her Jewish identity. (Two Tribes)
What is a necklace?
Melody experiences a "first" in her social life when she attends this specific camp event, where she wears a special outfit and dances with her friends.
What is the Camp Fire/Camp Dance? (Accept: The "Moonlight Dance").
The "war" effectively ends after this tragic event, where one of the main characters is physically jumped and bullied, leading the group to realize the weight of their words.
What is the attack on Wolf? (Accept: When Wolf gets beat up in the locker room/hallway).
In a pivotal scene, Mia realizes both of her "tribes" share a history of this—specifically referring to the Trail of Tears for the Muscogee and the Diaspora for the Jewish people.
What is forced removal (or displacement/exile)?
Throughout the book, Carl realizes that while he was trying to change his father, he was neglecting his feelings for this girl, who ironically liked his dad’s quirkiness all along.
Who is Carolyn
In Out of My Heart, Melody uses this personification to describe these glowing insects at camp, calling them "tiny lanterns with wings." In Posted, Frost uses a similar metaphor to describe how a mean secret spreads through a school—starting as a single spark in the dark before becoming a "swarm" of fire. (Posted & Out of My Heart)
What are fireflies?