Brain on Fire
Melody’s narration here about herself may or may not purposely be intended as some kind of allusion to Stephen Hawking but if not intended, it certainly worked out well as accident. One of the problems that still exists in the world is that those without any physical disability themselves often automatically connect a quite obvious physical condition with the mental or intellectual abilities. It is not uncommon for people to see someone confined to a wheelchair and automatically think their brain is confined somehow as well. Mr. Hawking proved that is far from the case in real life. Melody proves it in fiction:
“Well, even though my brain blazes, the rest of my body works like a piece of taffy that’s been left in the sun for too long.”
The Swimming Hole
This is a story about going to camp. And most camps have and ol’ swimming hole, but not most camps are not like this one and most old-fashioned swimming holes are not like the pool found here. Which is a good thing, of course, all things considered:
“Along the outside of a long, low building by the pool—another awesome blue—hung a variety of swimming aids and hookups, as well as several different kinds of life vests. All of them were Crayola-bright, as if to say, Nobody drowns in our pool!”
Darkness
The golden metaphor of the modern age even manages to find its way into an uplifting story about a determined young girl going to camp. Admittedly, however, the usage of darkness as metaphor here is not quite up to the level of Kafkaesque utilization that is most typical of its appearances around the middle of the last century:
“Dark in the city and darkness way out in Penny’s “forest” were two different things. Here, it was like the dark had sucked all the essence from the day and taken hold, and like they said in horror movies, Darkness Rules!”
Mind on Fire
Melody’s mind seems to be stuck in gear and incapable of being shifted into neutral. Not even at night surrounded by the lulling songs of crickets and the hoot of an owl. Thank goodness she is the narrator or else all that activity might have gone partially to waste:
“I was sleepy, but all the stuff stuck inside my mind twirled and twisted and kept me restless.”
A Girl with a Book
There is something special about a kid—whether girl or boy—who always has a book in hand. They almost always wind up smarter, funnier, and more imaginative than those kids who are hardly ever seen with a book in their hand. Guess which group Melody belongs to:
“I’m almost twelve, but I read on a twelfth-grade level. Lots of that is thanks to Mrs. V, who never saw me as unplugged, but only saw my power.”
