A Mango Shaped Space
By Wendy Mass 

     Can you imagine mentally seeing numbers and letters in color? How about silver balls cascading through the air when you hear violin music? Thirteen-year-old Mia has always seen colors in sounds, numbers, and letters. She doesn't talk about it to anyone since she's discovered that other people don't have this ability. She has a rare condition called synesthesia, which means that the visual cortex in her brain is activated by the sound of numbers, letters and other sounds. Her "difference" causes her to struggle with math and French in school.

     When she finds that there are research and support groups of other synesthetes, she eagerly attends these meetings and devours information about the condition. Her schoolwork and personal relationships suffer as she becomes more involved with the compelling world of fellow synesthetes and the unique things only they can experience. Her brief experimentation with a feigned illness to receive acupuncture treatment to heighten her color perception is well done.

     Then her beloved cat, Mango, who has always been prone to wheezing, becomes deathly ill. Mia's trials, which include a break with her best friend and grief over her grandfather's death, provide an exciting story. It was a glimpse into a whole new world for me, and one that I enjoyed thoroughly.

     Wendy Mass shows sheer genius in her fast moving plot with unexpected developments and she beautifully integrates information about synesthesia with Mia's coming-of-age story. References to a comprehensive Web site and bibliography about synesthesia are included.