A Mango-Shaped Space

by Wendy Mass

Book Overview

"From the moment I read a story by Wendy Mass, I knew she was a writer to watch." --Judy Blume

An award-winning book from the New York Times bestselling author of Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life and The Candymakers for fans for of Wonder and Counting by Sevens

Mia Winchell appears to be a typical kid, but she's keeping a big secret--sounds, numbers, and words have color for her. No one...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316058254
• ISBN13: 9780316058254
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Colors, colors, colors.

Mia has recently lost her grandfather. On the day of his funeral, she received a gift at the cemetery - an adorable "stray" kitten named Mango. No, he didn't have Mango colored fur, he exuded the color "Mango" from his little feline being. Mia, you see, has synesthesia, an unusual brain "abnormality" where she sees color in letters, in numbers, in names. When we first meet Mia, she has kept her synesthesia hidden due to an unfortunate embarrassment in elementary school. Thankfully, she finally gets a name for what it is that makes her "different" and a new world begins to unfold for her. Readers walk alongside Mia through stumbles with her closest friends, changes in her siblings, experimentation with what she learns about synesthesia. We are with Mia when she experiences yet another huge life loss... and survives. What I gleaned, most of all, is how "normal" we all are, even in our "uniqueness". Wendy Mass writes cleanly and crisply and steers away from melodrama. She doesn't overwrite a word. I enjoyed reading this book possibly as much as my teen daughter, the owner of the book.

A Mango-Shaped Space

Well, at first I was a little nervous about reading this book. Was it going to be like one of those books about someone who has a disease and just wants to get rid of it? Well, no. Actually, Mia has a disease (not really a disease... but an abnormality) where sounds, numbers, and letters all have color for her. The colors are all different, and sometimes they make shapes and sometimes they're blobs. Mia has been keeping this secret for years, ever since she was laughed at in third grade. But now, she's having trouble in math. And she needs to fix it. This book was so emotional, and so unique, and so sad. While in the beginning I was a little scared, by the end I was crying. I didn't want it to end.

From a reviewer in Canada

I read A Mango-Shaped Space a couple of years ago, and I must say I loved it! The protagonist, Mia, was so likeable and I really enjoyed how she tried to find out more about her condition (Synthesthesia). Frankly, I had never heard of Synesthesia before picking up A Mango-Shaped Space, and I found it so interesting. I recommended this book to my book club at school. Some of us have finished the book, while some are still in the midst of completing it. However, we all have the same opinion: the book is fantastic. It's been described as "unputdownable." I'm so glad I recommended it to my book club. This is a great read, whether you know about Synesthesia or not. I think we all share an affinity with Mia once we're reading the book (being different in some way). And who can forget Mango, her cat! And Zack, her adorable little brother! You will love the plot and characters of A Mango-Shaped Space. It is also great for reading together in book clubs - I find that it stirs up some interesting discussions. Mrs. Mass has taken a humorous and interesting approach to informing others about Synesthesia. Highly recommended.

A Mango Shaped Space is the best book ever

I found this book very intereesting because it was on a topic I knew nothing about. Mia sees colors whenever she hears a noise. Also all letters and numbers have colors to her.She decides not to tell anyone when she finds out that nobody else sees colors because she thinks she is different. Then one day Mia tells her parents and she goes to a lot of doctors to figure out what the dissorder she has is. Nobody believes her in the beginning so she feels very alone for a while. I didn't even know there was such a thing where words had colors and I thought it was really cool to learn more about how it affects her every day. This is definatly one of my favorite books and would not hesitate to read it again.

This Mia Rules, Too!

A funny, touching book about a teen-aged girl named Mia, who, because of a medical disorder, sees words and numbers in colors. How Mia learns to cope with her unusual gift (while also putting up with all the normal horrors associated with a typical teen girl's life) makes for an entertaining read for all ages. This one's got it all...cute boys, cats...not to be missed!