She eventually joins the Whiz Kids team for the finals in Washington. Like Claire, she mocks and bullies Melody. Molly is a Spaulding Street Elementary student and Claire’s best friend. She claims to be Melody’s friend during their interview with Channel Six News. She is consistently unkind to Melody and jealous of her intelligence. ClaireĬlaire is a Spaulding Street Elementary student. He is characterized as a class clown who likes to draw attention to himself, though he is nonetheless intelligent, and kind to Melody. Connor BatesĬonnor is a Spaulding Street Elementary student who joins the Whiz Kids team. Rose is for the most part friendly, though it becomes apparent that Rose’s connection to Melody is somewhat superficial. Later, they are both on the Whiz Kids team. Lovelace’s music class, Melody bonds with Rose and projects her desire for genuine friendship onto Rose. After she sits next to Melody during Mrs. Rose is characterized as studious and forward-thinking. Rose is a main-school student at Spaulding Street Elementary. This antagonism fuels Melody to prove him wrong. Dimming doubts Melody’s abilities and attempts to discourage her from trying out for the Whiz Kids team. He is teased by students for wearing the same dull clothing every day. Dimming is Melody’s history teacher and the teacher in charge of Spaulding Street Elementary’s quiz team. He loves Muenster cheese, even though digestion issues mean it makes him fart when he walks up steps-a habit which Melody finds amusing. When she is a baby, he says that if they could switch places and he could live her difficult life for her, he would. He speaks directly and personally to Melody from a very young age, as though she is an adult. Melody’s father Chuck is portrayed as encouraging and supportive. When Melody’s mother is pregnant with Penny, she expresses her concern that she will give birth to another developmentally disabled child. The stress of raising Melody at times leads Melody’s mother to act out in frustration. Though she is supportive and loving, she often misunderstands what Melody is trying to communicate. Melody's Mother (Diane Brooks)ĭiane Brooks is Melody’s mother. Toward the end of the novel, Penny manages to escape and is run over by Melody’s mother’s SUV. Penny’s ease of movement and expression is a source of jealousy and annoyance for Melody, though Penny is ultimately a source of comfort. Penny is fond of dressing up in elaborate outfits and makes numerous attempts to escape out of the house. Melody playfully teases Catherine for her dress sense, since Catherine wears color combinations that Melody finds ugly, such as purple and green. Catherine speaks to Melody as though she is intelligent and capable of understanding. When she isn’t attending university, Catherine comes to the school to assist Melody with tasks throughout the school day. CatherineĬatherine is Melody’s aide at Spaulding Street Elementary.
She also secures funding for an aide to help Melody at school. She allows Melody to listen to audiobooks and initiates inclusion classes for students in room H-5. Shannon is pudgy, wears lavender body lotion, and speaks with a strong Southern drawl. Reminding Melody of a television grandmother, Mrs. When Melody is frustrated, she does not allow Melody to use her disability as an excuse to give up. V plays an instrumental role in helping Melody acquire her Medi-Talker and expand her knowledge. V recognizes Melody’s intelligence and challenges Melody to do more than others believe she is capable of. V used to work as a nurse, and would wear bright hand-sewn outfits to boost sick children’s spirits. Violet Valencia is Melody’s neighbor and after-school caregiver. She describes herself as having brown curly hair, brown eyes, stiff limbs, and a pink wheelchair. Melody longs to be seen and treated as a normal kid. In spite of her genius, Melody finds herself isolated in the special-needs classroom until the age of eleven, at which point she receives a Medi-Talker, a device that enables her to speak by using her thumb to trigger pre-programmed phrases. Although Melody is not able to communicate verbally with those around her, she has a photographic memory and a witty personality. Born with cerebral palsy, Melody cannot speak or control her limbs. Melody Brooks is the novel’s protagonist and narrator.
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