A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass is about Mia, an 8th grader who appears totally normal... except she's been hiding a secret about herself from EVERYONE, since she was in 3rd grade. Mia sees colors and shapes for every letter, word, and sound.

Things have been rough on Mia lately. Her grandfather died the year before. At the funeral, she found a small kitten suffering from a lung disease. Convinced that a part of her grandfather's soul is inside the kitten, Mango, she turns to him for comfort in all areas of her life. In addition, Mia's best friend, Jenna's mother recently died of cancer. AND, Mia is having trouble at school - she's nearly failing math and in danger of having to attend summer school!

Mia has always struggled in school with math and world languages because the colors she associates with numbers and words don't always correspond with the ways those numbers and words change due to mathematical equations and foreign words. She first realized she was different in 3rd grade when she tried to rewrite her teacher's math equation on the board using colored chalk - the students in the class laughed at her and called her "freak." It isn't until 8th grade, when Mia can't stand the secret any longer, that she breaks down and tells her parents. They take her to a variety of different doctors before a neurologist diagnoses her with synesthesia. Finally, Mia has a name for what she'd always assumed was craziness!

I absolutely loved this book. It was both touching and funny, happy and sad. I found myself thinking about Mia and her family even when I wasn't actively reading the book! I had never heard of synesthesia before, but now I am interested in researching more about it. I really liked the way the author described Mia's experiences in school and with her family and friends. It was interesting to see what colors Mia associated with different actions, letters, and words. I found myself thinking about what colors and shapes I might associate with those things as well. GREAT STORY!!