Last month, the school book club read A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass. I had them write their own book reviews to post here.
First, let me tell you about the book. It's about a an 8th grader named Mia who has what doctors and scientist call synesthesia, which means her brainwires that control her senses are crossed, and as a result, she sees colors and shapes and textures with her words and sounds. Mia has had this condition for as long as she can remember and has never told anyone about it since she attempted to when she was 8-years-old and everyone thought she was playing around and making stuff up. Mia finally ends up telling her parents during her 8th grade year when her synesthesia starts causing her to fail algebra and Spanish and she realizes that she needs help. While revealing her secret is a great relief, it also makes Mia feel like a freak, especially after everyone at school finds out about her synesthesia and she gets into a huge fight with her best friend. Mia then begins finding out about herself as well as find herself as she explores her condition that now has a name and meets other people that have the same condition.
This was a very touching book. Mia is a very relatable character who doesn't always act the right way or do the right thing, but her mistakes are very believable. The rest of the characters are just as believable and complex. Anyone with a sister will relate to Mia's annoyance with her older sister, Beth, who frequently changes her hair color and suddenly becomes a vegetarian yoga enthusiast. Mia's little brother, Zack, I found to be a little unbelievable and too quirky, but it was still amusing to read about all of his superstitions. I was pretty upset with Mia's parents at the end when her mom revealed some prior knowledge, but overall, I sympathized and understood most of their actions. That's what I loved most about this book--the realistic and fully fleshed-out characters who make mistakes that are understandable.
Here are the reviews from my brilliant book clubbers:
"it's very descriptive and shows the reader how the narrator can see the shapes and colors of words."
"it's nice being able to relate to this book."
"I liked that it portrayed a character who is different and has a different problem that not everyone is familiar with."
"This became one of my favorite books. It was like looking into a different world that you don't see everyday."
Till next time,
Julie
