Characters & People
Who is the narrator and main character in Chapters 1–10? Reference: Chapter 1
Melody
What happens to Melody’s goldfish Ollie in these chapters? Reference: Chapter 8
Ollie jumps out of his bowl and dies.
What is the classroom designation where Melody spends school time? Reference: Chapter 5
Room H-5 at Spaulding Street Elementary School.
In Mrs. V’s teaching system, what color flashcards did she use for nouns? Reference: Chapter 6
Pink
Name one clear theme from Chapters 1–10 and give a brief example. Reference: Chapters 1, 6
Communication — Melody has many thoughts and words inside but cannot speak them, illustrated by her frustration and Mrs. V’s efforts to teach alternate communication.
Name Melody’s parents as introduced in these chapters. Reference: Chapters 1–3
Diane and Chuck
Why does Melody have a big outburst (a “tornado explosion”) in Mrs. Billups’s class? Reference: Chapter 7
She is frustrated by the repetitive babyish music and alphabet drill and cannot tell the teacher to stop.
Describe the classroom decorations that bother Melody. Reference: Chapter 5
Walls painted with a happy sun, rainbow, smiling flowers, puppies and kittens — very babyish for her age
Give one example Melody uses to describe music with sensory language (color or smell) from Chapters 1–10. Reference: Chapter 2
Beethoven sounds bright blue and smells like fresh paint (other examples: jazz = brown/tan, smells like wet dirt; country = lemons/lemonade)
Give one example from Chapters 1–10 of how adults’ assumptions limit Melody. Reference: Chapters 4–5, 7
Dr. Hugely assumes she is not intelligent because she cannot perform physical tasks; some teachers treat H-5 like baby-school, not recognizing her knowledge.
Who is Mrs. V and what is one thing she does for Melody in Chapters 1–10? Reference: Chapters 6 and 7
Mrs. Violet Valencia — neighbor/caregiver who helps teach Melody to roll, crawl, and learn words.
What did Dr. Hugely tell Melody’s parents during the evaluation described in these chapters? Reference: Chapters 4–5
He told them Melody is severely brain-damaged / profoundly unintelligent and suggested institutional or special-school options.
Where does Melody learn to roll, crawl, and practice physical skills with Mrs. V? Reference: Chapter 6
On a large quilt on Mrs. V’s floor / porch at Mrs. V’s house.
What phrase does Melody use for sudden outbursts of body movement and screaming? Use context from the chapters. Reference: Chapter 3
“Tornado explosions” — sudden loss of control with tight arms/legs, jerking and screaming due to frustration
How does Mrs. V’s attitude differ from other adults in the first ten chapters? Reference: Chapter 6
Mrs. V believes Melody can learn, pushes her gently but firmly to practice physical and language tasks, and expects progress rather than pity.
Which classmate in room H-5 is described as very fashionable with matching outfits and tiny bows? Reference: Chapter 5
Ashley
How does Melody’s mother react to Dr. Hugely’s recommendation? Reference: Chapters 4–5
She angrily refuses to send Melody away, defends her, and decides to enroll her at Spaulding Street Elementary.
What small devices does Melody have attached to her wheelchair that she can operate? Reference: Chapters 2
A TV remote and a radio remote/control near her right hand.
Using context from Chapters 1–10, explain how Mrs. V’s flashcards help Melody learn to read. Reference: Chapter 6
Color-coded cards (pink nouns, blue verbs, green adjectives) and repeated practice let Melody recognize words, form sentences, and build vocabulary
Explain briefly how Melody’s memory is described in Chapters 1–10 and how that affects her feelings. Reference: Chapter 1 and Chapter 3
Melody has nearly photographic memory and remembers songs, videos, smells, and moments—this makes her feel trapped because she cannot express or erase these memories.
Which classmate rocks in a corner and seems to calm when music is played (Chapters 1–10)? Reference: Chapter 5
Gloria
What specific changes does Mrs. V make to Melody’s communication tools in these chapters? Reference: Chapters 6 and 7
She rebuilds Melody’s communication board (smaller words, more vocabulary, and names) and creates color-coded flashcards to teach reading and sentence-building.
Name Melody’s pets mentioned in Chapters 1–10 and give one thing each does for her. Reference: Chapter 8
Ollie the goldfish — dies after jumping from the bowl;
Butterscotch the dog — comforts Melody and alerts parents when she falls
Using context from Chapters 1–10, explain how Melody’s communication board both helps and limits her. Reference: Chapters 5–6
Early boards contained basic needs words so she could request help; Mrs. V expanded it so Melody could form more complex ideas, but physical limitations still make communicating slow and sometimes imprecise.
Using only events from Chapters 1–10, describe one way Melody’s family shows support for her. Reference: Chapters 2, 4–5, and 7
Her father records videos, reads to her, and sings to her; her mother defends her fiercely (confronting Dr. Hugely and later the teacher) and ensures she attends school and therapy.