A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass is a wonderful book about how a young girl finds her true self and the courage to tell her very strange family the truth about herself, and risking loosing all of her friends and her family. I would give this book five stars because it is spell binding from the very start. This book is placed in the country, where a thirteen girl grows up with an enticing secret. Her best and only friend Jenna is her only support. They have a very strong relationship and trust within each other.
Mia looks as though she is the most normal person in her family. Her younger brother has a chart of all of the hamburgers that he has ever eaten, and her older sister dies her hair a different color every week. And her father keeps building and remodeling their house. But Mia knows that she is the farthest from ordinary.
Mia is holding something from everyone: sounds, numbers, and letters have color for her. After that she is bombarded by questions and concerns from her teachers, friends, and family. Her mother is shocked when Mia tells her about her secret, and immediately takes her to various neurologists and doctors of many kinds. Mia's mother becomes obsessed with Mia's strange condition,
Mia has a small kitten that helps her through all of the problems that she has ever had. Mango her kitten has a lung disease that makes him cough and wheeze. Mia named Mango, Mango because all of his coughs and wheezes are various colors of yellows and oranges. The interesting thing about Mango is that he has the same mango colored eyes as her grandfather who died a few years ago. Mango also has a strange story behind him, the day that Mia's grandfather died Mango appeared at their doorstep coughing and wheezing.
Wendy Mass has a wonderful way of writing. She makes Mia very easy to relate to even though she is a completely fictional character. If I were rating this book on it's writing style I would give totally give it five stars. If Wendy Mass weren't the writer of this book I don't think that I would give it nearly five stars because she just immediately took me in and swept me away.
This book was a wonderful read and I completely recommend this book to everyone, it was such a great book and it was also very easy unlike some books are about this type of things. This book is a lot like The Giver by C.S. Lewis in the prospect of the writers but otherwise there are no other comparisons. This is an incredible book that young and old can read and that everyone can enjoy.
Overall this book is good for people who like realistic fiction and really any kind of book. It is enticing, and takes you in immediately, and as you read you find out what an interesting and extraordinary girl Mia is.