When Melody saves Gertrude Gilson, an elderly back-in-the-day actress’s life, the two are rocketed into the spotlight. While being interviewed on the news, the two are gifted a trip to London, England, so that Melody can attend I.D.E.A., an international symposium for kids with different abilities, and Gertrude can visit her family. To Melody’s utter shock and delight, she, Mrs. Gilson, and two friends of her choice are chosen to participate. Melody finally gets to fly on an airplane, and even the airline’s somewhat clumsy handling of her wheelchair can’t dampen her excitement to be in London. There, Melody meets kids from all over the world who are rallying for greater accessibility and more thoughtful planning on how to make the world more equal for every kid, no matter the unusual challenges they face. As Melody’s time to speak approaches, she hopes she can find a way to make every word count and make an impact.
We only had to wait three years for another Melody adventure.
You’re probably wondering, “How could Melody, a girl who can’t walk or talk, possibly save a person’s life?” The answer is too much of a spoiler to share.
I was excited and terrified about Melody’s first plane ride. I dreaded something was going to go horribly wrong, like her wheelchair would get damaged on the flight or, even worse, lost. But amazingly Melody and her friends have the most perfect trip I have ever read. They were given the VIP treatment on the plane and at their hotel. Just the right amount of things go wrong. You can’t go on a trip somewhere without something going wrong. After so many people dismissed Melody in the first book, it was heartwarming to have so many people treat her kindly.
60% of the story is about Melody and her friends sightseeing around London. If you plan to go to London, England, you need to read this book first. Each location Melody visits is described with so much history and detail. It’s like the perfect travel guide to the city.
I wish more of the story had taken place at the I.D.E.A. symposium. I thought it was going to be the story’s primary focus. The event reminded me of the Disabilities Expo I attended. I sold my Maddie and Albert books, demonstrating that someone with a disability can have a career.
The only problem I had with the story was the abrupt ending. It felt like the book was missing several important ending chapters. I hope this is a segway into a fourth Melody book.