Little, Brown Books for Young Readers A Mango-Shaped Space

The journey of the main character truly explores what it means to accept oneself for all the parts of you. The character explores her identity, and the story wraps up in a wonderful way. A great, quick read

My 10 year old daughter, and her friends, love this author and “A Mango-Shaped Space” is her favourite one of all her books.

This novel really captured many facets of being differently abled. Mia Winchell, is a protagonist, and she is close to being 14. When she was in elementary school an incident happened that made her feel like an outsider. She is a Synaesthete but unfortunately in 2003 I do not think many people knew about this neurological gift. While struggling with a math sum she decided to paint some numericals "in their natural colours." That is when Mia, humiliated by her classmates and her teacher, realises no one else sees colours and numbers as associatively as she does. So, Mia is forced to agree with her school counselor at that time that she was lying and was not seeing colours. Her math teacher also made her apologise in front of her class for being a nuisance.Fast forward to this young teen Mia. Mia still sees colours but she doesn't say it to anyone. Even her best friend, partners in crime (they themselves call themselves PIC), does not know and she pretty much knows everything about Mia. Then, our protagonist comes out and tells her parents again. This is because she is afraid of summer school and she has consecutively failed many math tests. At first her parents, well her mother, blames her father — as if Synaesthesia is something to be blamed for. Then after a series of diagnosis Mia finds out she is special in this, her own unique way. However, her parents at first still find it confusing. To her mother she wants Mia to be "normal" initially too not understanding that to Mia this is the normalest and healthiest way she can be. Yet, Mia's mother is looked at sympathetically as like any woman who just wants the best to her daughter and doesn't want her to face difficulties and social ostracisation.Mia also questions the validity of just getting good grades when her bond with her cat, Mango, is revealed. Mango has always been a sick cat but through his wheezing and sneezing Mia saw colours that worked like her own aerated kaleidoscope that calmed her down. And Mia is good at many other things scuch as painting and creative thought.This novel is not only important to children. It is important to adults. Especially lost adults who need to be reminded that their self-image is important and that their unique gifts are worth keeping. I would say this is more effective than a self-help manual.What I really loved about this book is Wendy Mass's eye for detail and her ability to not make Mia into this perfect child complex. Mia makes mistakes and Mia is fallible. Mia also gets angry and does internally voice out when people are in their own ways being mean to her. I would say this is demonstrated by her friend Jenna. Frankly, Jenna isn't a really good friend and that an older Mia would probably realise this. Jenna is kind and caring and loving about Mia, true, but she is also reprehensible in being self-centered. Though there is an excuse for the first time, though I still found it weak, it seems she just resents that Mia CAN GROW WITHOUT HER.That Mia is unique also elicits a jealousy in her which she wants to say "oh, you are not being a good friend" but in actuality she just doesn't like that Mia has embarked on such a new journey in her life that doesn't include her. Though this is somewhat understandable there is some places when Jenna really got my ire. There were scenes when Jenna acted like a very bad friend. Where she seemed unable to understand that Mia is also, after so many years, learning about herself. Instead of being supportive she whines on about Mia is spending time away from her. I am glad that Mass wrote about Jenna and all these behaviours from her. It was a realistic depiction of friends like this.At the same time I am happy that Mass also showed that Mia's initial belief that only other Synaesthetes would get her is proved fallible. Mia doesn't need to only bond with other Synaesthetes; neither will all of them be serious about her feelings. At the end of the day everyone is human and humans subjected to the same arrogances and errors as everyone else. Mia also finds new friends and potential love with someone she didn't think at first "alluring" as in he is handsome but he was not a Synaesthete. Mass without excuse depicts the impressionable minds of adolescents and also the haughtiness or sadness that comes in discovering natural gifts.The novel is interconnected with many themes and many events, both real and fictional. Mia's connection with Mango and her Grandfather who has passed is shown to be relevant pieces of the backbone of this tale. Mia's home is also near the woods and her father also knows how to operate a helicopter which is pretty interesting. Mia does a project on Slavery learning also about other horrible forms of social exclusion. The fact that Mia is not perfect, can be prone to get annoyed and impatient and even at times ignore people, made me really love her as a protagonist. She is a good person and has the same shortcomings as most people but unlike most people Mia is ethical and tries to be responsible and also dedicated with what she does. As a person who has been growing up with Synaesthesia and not knowing it till now makes it even harder for her to sometimes keep her restlessness and frustrations in check but she tries and manages to do a lot.I actually liked the ending too. It showed how Mia must grow up, move on and also she accepts new responsibilities and feelings. New insights into also her Synaesthesia and how it incorporates into herself.I wish Mass would write a sequel to how Mia is when she is a grown woman. It would be interesting to see how things have had turned out.

Wow, I couldn't stop myself from reading a couple chapters per day! The first-person narrator Mia Winchell is a very interesting character. I admire how she uses her unique ability(called Synesthesia) to view color from hearing sounds and seeing letters and numbers to her advantage in her classes. For example, as bad as it gets, Mia is HORRIBLE at math, but she uses her Synesthesia to help her on a math quiz by assigning colors to the letter variables to certain memorable colors. She then gets that "big, beautiful, sunflower yellow" A. She thinks it's cheating, but I think it's a great use of her unique power. There is also a sad but touching part toward the end, when Mia's cat Mango passes away, and afterwards Mia realizes she lost her Synesthesia. She then saw a really bland world before her eyes temporarily. She then got her Synesthesia back later on, but when I read this sad part of the near end, I knew right away how strong of a bond is created between Mia and Mango, and how Mia should never be ashamed of her uniqueness as she did in the beginning(as she soon regretted the lost of her power when she saw the world without it).Overall, A Mango-Shaped Space is a very good and vividly detailed book, while still conveying the learning lesson or theme to the reader: be yourself no matter how different and unique you are.

I bought this book for my 11 year old daughter. We've been struggling to find books that are her reading age but not too grown up in content. She loved this. She didn't want to review the book but I couldn't leave it without some praise. When she had finished the book she said 'That was brilliant - really recommend that !" - she's not said that about too many books ! High praise indeed !