2008-06-19

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Mia has always seen colors; she See's them for Letters, sounds, and numbers. She hasn't told anyone since the 3rd grade "Freeeek" incident.
She tell her parents and they take her to the Doctor she finds out that she isn't the only person like that. It's a great self-discovery book.
Bitter-sweet, with humor and reality all wrapped into one.

I can't wait to read Wendy Mass' other books.

Mia is lovable and so is Zack. The story has a magical reality to it, in the sense that it embraces the magic of everyday life. Wonderful!

Molly Espey 2008-06-13

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I am a 12 year-old boy and saw one of my friends reading this book so asked her about it. After her brief explanation I concluded that "A Mango Shaped Space" was a girl's book. (if you know what I mean) A few months later, I saw the book in my local library and was short of books at the time, so I checked it out. Almost immediately I was laughing hysterically. I was quite pleased and finished "A Mango Shaped Space" in nearly three days. If I had to pick one word to describe it I would pick: SAD. It starts out funny but near the end becomes darn near unbearably sad. The whole story was like a black cloud looming it the sky; I saw exactly what was going to happen but could do nothing about it (well duh, it's a book). I just had to sit there while Mia's life heads into the perfect, destructive storm. This book was really about was not a girl who could hear colors. Rather, it is about loss, consequences, and perseverance in hard times. I loved the character development and was mystified by the way Wendy Mass made me feel perfect empathy with the character of Mia. If your looking for a happy book full of sunshine and ponies go away, but if you want a sad and perfect masterpiece about death, life and mistakes you just found it. Note: This review was written by Iain Espey not Molly Espey. I am her son.

Purple Cow 2008-06-12

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I absolutely LOVE Wendy Mass's books. So after reading Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, and Leap Day, I decided that this book must be fantastic, too. I was very wrong.
The plot sounds great, and Mia's synesthesia seems very interesting. But the book wasn't all that great. It wasn't funny and realistic, like Wendy's other books. Maybe if I had a cat and synesthesia I would have enjoyed the book better, but I thought it was just bland. Very boring. This is very dissappointing, I suggest that you read Ms. Mass's other books before picking this one up.

2008-05-24

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

The bizarre condition Mia has called synesthesia is pretty interesting. She sees colors when she hears sounds and looks at letters and numbers. Once you learn what it is the story itself is kind of boring. The characters are cardboard and the writing style is drab. One blessing is it is rather short. I do not recommend it.

H. Thompson 2008-03-31

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Wendy Mass's A Mango Shaped Space is an enlightening book about a girl with a condition called synesthesia which heightens the senses and "crosses" them, allowing people to taste sounds, see noises, give colors to letters and words, etc. The book is very informational, in fact, it gives the readers several pages of factual information about the condition through the voice of a university researcher. In addition to promoting understanding of a condition that the book says impacts 1 in 500 people, it also deals with the theme of coping with death, the theme of the importance of friendship, and the theme of first love/romance. The ending of the book is satisfactory, and it ends on a positive message. There is little in the book that would be terribly controversial, so it could be used as a classroom accompaniment of a book of similar theme without too much concern.
The information in the book about synesthesia occurs during the main character Mia's first trip to the neurology department at the University of Chicago's medical center. Mia has been to her pediatrician, who referred her to a psychiatrist, who finally referred her to the University. She has kept the secret of her synesthesia for 13 years, until just recently, and is dealing with her peers and family not understanding it. The information that the neurologist, Dr. Jerry Weiss, gives Mia is in depth but easy to understand. It is a good resource for a student with synesthesia, or friends of the student because it not only gives scientific facts about the condition, but also gives a first person account of how it manifests, and what to expect when talking to people about it.
The saddest part of the book deals with the death of Mia's beloved cat, Mango. In the excitement of flirting with a boy, Mia forgets to give Mango a pill that allows him to breathe properly, and accidentally leaves him outside on a rainy night. She deals with the guilt of the thought that her actions caused the death of her pet (who she believes is a reincarnation of her deceased grandfather), but it is later revealed that Mango's health was failing before Mia's forgetfulness was even factored in. The theme is also touched on in the life of Mia's best friend, Jenna, an only child who lost her mother to a terminal illness. Jenna's father is starting to date again, and Jenna is still coping with the death of her mother, a few years prior.
The themes of first romance and importance of friendship are pretty common themes of coming-of-age stories, and are thoughtfully incorporated into the thread of the story. Of two love interests, Mia picks the kind, caring boy, Roger, who helps her deal with the death of Mango, after recently dealing with the death of his own dog.
The writing itself flows nicely through most of the book. Most characters have believable ideas and dialogue, and Mia's family, though quirky, is believable. One character, however, Mia's younger brother Zack, speaks in sarcastic, overly "cool" comebacks. He is written as an eleven-year-old, but his dialogue is reminiscent the overly sophisticated banter of the characters on Dawson's Creek. When Mia asks Zack about his teaching their sister, Beth, about superstitious beliefs, Zack snaps, "Hey, the Voodoo Vixen came to me, not the other way around"(75). The dialogue of Dr. Jerry Weiss is also obviously used to inform the reader. The information, though, isn't tiring or unnecessary, but it does seem pretty obvious to the reader that it is there for a reason.
The book was an entertaining read, and it was easy to feel sympathetic for Mia's character, especially at the death of her cat. I'd recommend this book to 9th grade readers, possibly a lower tier 10th grade reader, or anyone interested in learning about synesthesia. Thematically, it could pair with a classic book with the theme of coping with the death of a loved one.