A Mango-Shaped Space, by Wendy Mass, tells the story of a thirteen-year-old girl named Mia who lives in present-day Illinois. Mia has a unique condition called synesthesia. In her case, words, numbers, letters, and sounds all make colors and shapes appear in her sight. She struggles with accepting her synesthesia herself once she discovers it, as well as getting other people to accept it about her. Mia’s adorable cat, Mango, whom the book is named after, helps her through it. He also helps her through the grief Mia feels due to her grandfather’s death, which happens before the story begins. Throughout the book, Mia must learn to be more confident in herself with the support of her family, friends, and, of course, Mango. 

A Mango Shaped Space is a realistic story of self-discovery and learning confidence, as well as grief and loss. It also highlights the importance of family and shares moments of humor and happiness. It’s a good balance of important life lessons and funny, enjoyable times with family and friends. I enjoyed this book; however, there were a few parts where it got a bit boring. I would recommend this book for people in the range of ages 9-15. It gets a little sad and dark for a small portion of the book, and might be more relatable to people ages 11-14. However, it’s fairly easy to read, in terms of the level of complexity of the words used in it, and could be good for any ages.