Well, after Valentine's week, I thought you might need a little break. But, I'm back and I have a heartbreaker of a story that ends so nicely. The book is so beautifully written and I couldn't put it down until I was done. The book is A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass. The story is of a 13 year old girl who, in an unusual family, turns out to be the strangest of them all with a physical condition that allows her to see things that others can't.
Before you automatically think ghosts or the dead, let me stop you. Mia Winchell sees colors. This doesn't sound very strange, but it is how she sees colors that is different. To Mia, every word, sound and number has a color for her. The letter 'a' is yellow; music gives of swirls of color for whatever instrument is playing, and these are only examples of what Mia can see. Mia has seen them her whole life, and she's never told anyone.
Her family, as I've mentioned, is strange. Her sister is a zen yoga goddess who chages her hair color like clothes, and her brother keeps track of how many McDonald's burgers he eats. Her parents aren't much better. The one person Mia can always count on is her best friend, Jenna. Jenna is quiet but very nice, and has been friends with Mia forever. But, the secrets Mia has kept to herself threaten her family and her friend.
While taking her beloved cat, Mango (whose purr is the color orange-yellow), to the vet, she sees a boy from her school there. Roger's dog is being put to sleep, and Roger is overwhelmed. Mia finds a common string with him, as he is color-blind. They also work on a project in school together, and she starts to become good friends with him. After an incident with her condition, Mia discovers that he likes her, and she doesn't seem wierded out by it.
When Mia finally tells her secret, her world falls apart slowly. Jenna abandons her, her mother takes her to a psychologist and Mango is getting sicker. One person Mia finds is Adam, a boy with the same condition called synesthisia, who befriends Mia over an internet chat room for patients with all kinds of this condition. She doesn't know who to trust, and she may put it in the wrong people. And, what's worse, Mia's synesthesia may not last forever.
RED'S ALL STAR REVIEW: 4 out of 5. It is such an adorable and eloquent story. I loved the story, the characters, the interactions and the outcome of the story.
MASS APPEAL: Girls should really enjoy this book, but I'm not so sure about the guys. We'll stick with girls and recomend highly to them.
Click here! to buy this book on Amazon!
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