A Mango Shaped Space & Mockingbird
Two critically acclaimed books are A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass and Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine. Both books have main characters with disabilities and highlight these disabilities as part of the characters’ strengths, not something that holds them back. Using the Images and Encounters Profile (Blaska, 2004), I reviewed these two young adult books to see how appropriate they would be to be used in my fourth grade student observation classroom.
A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
Mia first discovers she is different from her classmates in third grade. When solving a math problem, she asks a question that no one else understands why she is asking. “Was everyone playing a trick on me? Of course numbers had colors. Were they also going to tell me that letters and sounds didn’t have colors? That the letter a wasn’t yellow like a faded sunflower and screeching chalk didn’t make red jagged lines in the air? ...Was I the only one who lived in a world full of color?” (Mass, 2003, pgs. 3-4)
It is through her classmates teasing her that Mia realizes she is different. Mia is ashamed of her differences and hides her synesthesia until she meets a young boy who describes the colors he sees when he hears her name. Through this brief encounter in the grocery store, Mia realizes what makes her unique does not necessarily make her alone, and she learns there are others who have this condition. “They made me question the first eight years of my life, and now this little boy is making me question the last five. If he isn’t lying, if he really sees my name that way, then everything I thought I knew about myself is wrong.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 37)
Promotes empathy not pity
As a reader, it is easy to empathize with Mia, a middle schooler who comes clean to her friends and family about her differences. The story is told from Mia’s point of view, and as she navigates her changing world, the readers can relate to what a middle school student goes through. She continues to struggle in math like any other middle school student. Mass does not depict Mia’s teachers, family, or friends as pitying her once they find out she has synesthesia. They ask questions to understand better what she has been experiencing and are relieved when she connects with another child, Billy, whom she thinks may also have synesthesia.
Depicts acceptance not ridicule
Mia does experience some ridicule in 3rd grade, which leads to her keeping her synesthesia a secret. After learning about her synesthesia and sharing her diagnosis with her friends, Mia’s classmates are confused by her disability. They do not understand it, so they ask her questions about it. A few classmates do ridicule her after finding out what she has, but the majority of classmates are depicted as being curious instead of cruel. This would be common for any students if they were finding out about a disability they had never heard about. Mia’s classmates identify her by her disability when it first comes public. “Someone whispers, “That’s her. The girl who sees all the colors.” So that’s who I am now. The “girl who sees colors.” At least they don’t know I’m also the girl whose grandfather’s soul lives in her cat. They can’t take that away from me.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 99) She feels that their labeling of her does not explain who she is as a person. But they choose to initially identify her based on her disability. Later, the reader sees that Mia identifies with her disability and acknowledges that it is a part of her being. “All I am is the girl who is no longer special in any way. I’m the girl who is empty. Like a deflated helium balloon. I can’t believe this is how everyone else feels all the time.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 236) She is so familiar with being Mia with synesthesia that when she is unable to see colors, Mia does not want to experience the “normal” that other people feel. She considers her synesthesia to be her normal. “I’m having a hard time getting used to people calling my actions normal. “Your colors will return, Mia. I promise. And you’ll feel three-dimensional again.”… I’m still torn between wanting my colors back and feeling like it’s an appropriate punishment that they’re gone. I decide to leave it up to fate. If they come back, it won’t be because of anything I actively do.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 255)
Emphasizes success rather than, or in addition, to failure
Mia is artistically talented and attributes this to her synesthesia because it inspires her art. She also excels in some of her academic classes because she uses her synesthesia. “History is one of my favorite subjects because I’m good at it. Once I learn the date of a certain event, I can easily remember it by its colors. I remember names the same way.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 48)
Promotes positive images of persons with disabilities or illness; Demonstrates respect for persons with disabilities or illness; Promotes attitude of “one of us” not “one of them”
Mia enjoys having synesthesia because of how it helps her perceive the world. “I do want to be able to pass my classes, and it would be nice to be like everyone else. But if I couldn’t use my colors, the world would seem so bland- like vanilla ice cream without the gummy bears on top.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 110) Mia does not see her disability as a negative because it has helped her with her painting and some subjects in school. Mass does not explain synesthesia as being something negative. In fact, Jerry tells Mia and her mother, “Mia, you don’t have a disease. You don’t even have a problem, exactly. What you have, based on what your mother told me, is a condition that is harmless. It’s called synesthesia.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 103)
Assists children in gaining accurate understanding of the disability or illness; Describes the disability or person with disabilities or illness as realistic; Uses language which stresses person first, disability second philosophy
In a scene with Mia and her doctor, Mass tells us, “Imagine that the wires in your brain are crossed, not literally of course. In your case, your visual and hearing sense are linked. The visual cortex in your brain is activated when your auditory cortex is stimulated.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 103) The doctor gives Mia and her mother the medical definition of what synesthesia is, and earlier in the book Mia explains what she personally sees. “My sight is filled with blurry purple triangles and waves of green and floating black dots and balls of all sizes and shades of colors, spinning, swopping, swirling in front of me and across the room and in my mind’s eye. If I had been prepared, I would have been able to anticipate the onslaught, but now it is overwhelming and I feel like I’m suffocating.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 20) Mia is not given any special talents in the book. She is an average middle school student in all other aspects.
Illustrates characters in a realistic manner
This book is a young adult chapter book, so there are no illustrations. Mia is described as a typical middle school student who just also happens to have synesthesia.
OVERALL REACTION: This book portrays disability in a positive light. It touches on some of the negative experiences with having a disability, such as experiencing some teasing from classmates and siblings, and trying to overcome challenges while having a disability. Mia is happy to connect with other people who have synesthesia to hear their experiences and her family comes to understand that what she has is not something that can be easily changed. Her parents want her to be “normal” but Mia wants to continue being Mia. She is just happy to put a name with what she has.
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
Caitlin is a fifth grader who has Asperger’s syndrome. Her brother dies in a tragic accident, and Caitlin tries to cope with her emotions. She has a difficult time understanding her emotions and what she and others are feeling because she prefers things to be black and white. Caitlin meets a first grader named Michael on the playground one day, and he helps her learn about the world around her, while they both try to help each other cope with their losses.
Caitlin knows she is different and she is okay being different. She enjoys working alone instead of in a group for projects in class, and she likes to be by herself at recess. Her brother Devon helped her understand the world around her, but now that he is gone, her counselor Mrs. Brook is trying to help Caitlin learn the world.
Promotes empathy not pity
The reader feels empathy for Caitlin because she has recently lost her brother and is trying to adjust to life with just her father. Now, the children in school stare at her because her brother died. They have forgotten about her disability and have instead replaced it with a different label to identify her. Erskine does not let the reader pity Caitlin for having Asperger’s. We see her try to interact with her peers and different social groups, which would be hard for any elementary school child. “I wish people would follow the Facial Expressions Chart like they’re supposed to.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 29)
Depicts acceptance not ridicule; Emphasizes success rather than, or in addition, to failure
One of Caitlin’s classmates, Emma, puts forth an effort in being Caitlin’s friend. She compliments her artistic abilities at the fundraiser and invites her to be in a group project with her. Emma appears to accept Caitlin and encourages her friends to do the same. The classmates do not tease Caitlin for being different, but they tend to leave her be because that is what she prefers. Caitlin has a difficult time interpreting Emma’s actions towards her, but ultimately becomes a part of the group project. This is a success for Caitlin because she is being accepted by her peers.
Promotes positive images of persons with disabilities or illness
Erskine does not explain Caitlin’s disability with a negative tone. She speaks from Caitlin’s point of view, a black and white world trying to make sense of those around her. “You shouldn’t walk into someone else’s Personal Space. Especially not William H.’s. William H. is autistic. He’s in the other fifth-grade class. He has Mrs. Brook time too but Mrs. Brook says it’s good for everyone to be in a regular class. But he screams a lot so I’m glad he’s not in my class except for recess and PE.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 28) In this example, Caitlin is describing a fellow classmate. The reader does not learn more about autism beyond this exchange, and this may be because we are getting the description from Caitlin’s limited understanding.
Assists children in gaining accurate understanding of the disability or illness
The reader is only able to understand Asperger’s from Caitlin’s point of view. “I have to use the chart because when I look at real faces I don’t Get It. Mrs. Brook says people have a hard time understanding me because I have Asperger’s so I have to try extra hard to understand them and that means working on emotions.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 11) Caitlin does not seem to understand her own disability because she assumes Mrs. Brook has it as well. “We are at recess and I think Mrs. Brook might have Asperger’s too because she is very persistent which is one of my skills. She is stuck on her Let’s Make Friends idea even though I am making it very clear with my eyes that I am no longer interested in this conversation.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 81) Caitlin is a character that loves to read, so it would have been an opportunity for Erskine to explain more about Asperger’s and autism than just from Caitlin’s point of view.
Demonstrates respect for persons with disabilities or illness; Promotes attitude of “one of us” not “one of them”; Uses language which stresses person first, disability second philosophy
“‘Life is special.’ ‘You mean… it’s not just me who’s special? It’s all of life?’ ‘Yes.’ I guess the good news is that everybody has to put up with being special because everybody is alive.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 204) In speaking with her father, Caitlin learns that everyone has qualities that makes them unique. This contributes to an attitude of “one of us.” When describing Caitlin and William H., Erskine uses people-first language. There is an instance where the gym teacher makes a negative comment about autistic students and the reactions from Caitlin’s classmates help the reader to understand why this was not good. Emma sees Caitlin as her classmate and is quick to defend her to Mrs. Brook, for the gym teacher’s negative comment.
Describes the disability or person with disabilities or illness as realistic; Illustrates characters in a realistic manner
Caitlin is a typical fifth grader. She has her strengths and she has her weaknesses. Caitlin prefers things to be either or- she does not like ambiguity. “Sometimes I read the same books over and over and over. What’s great about books is that the stuff inside doesn’t change. People say you can’t judge a book by its cover but that’s not true because it says right on the cover what’s inside. And no matter how many times you read that book the words and pictures don’t change. You can open and close books a million times and they stay the same. They look the same. They say the same words. The charts and pictures are the same colors. Books are not like people. Books are safe.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 34) This is a young adult chapter book so there are no illustrations, so the reader has to rely on the author’s description of the characters.
OVERALL REACTION: Erskine does a good job showing a fifth grader’s view of the world as someone who has Asperger’s. However, only being explained Asperger’s from the main character’s view limits the understanding of readers who may not know what Asperger’s is. They are only given Caitlin as a reference in an attempt to understand it. Because this book takes place after a major traumatic event, young readers may associate the event with Asperger’s and not realize that Caitlin had Asperger’s prior to her brother’s death. The author does mention it, but young readers may think Asperger’s can be the result of a traumatic event. This is a good book to help students what it may be like to be different from your classmates, and the struggles of fitting in. Luckily, Caitlin was able to make a friend in Michael, who helped her to gain a better understanding of the world around her.
References
Erskine, K. (2010). Mockingbird. New York: Puffin Books.
Mass, W. (2003). A Mango-Shaped Space. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
Mia first discovers she is different from her classmates in third grade. When solving a math problem, she asks a question that no one else understands why she is asking. “Was everyone playing a trick on me? Of course numbers had colors. Were they also going to tell me that letters and sounds didn’t have colors? That the letter a wasn’t yellow like a faded sunflower and screeching chalk didn’t make red jagged lines in the air? ...Was I the only one who lived in a world full of color?” (Mass, 2003, pgs. 3-4)
It is through her classmates teasing her that Mia realizes she is different. Mia is ashamed of her differences and hides her synesthesia until she meets a young boy who describes the colors he sees when he hears her name. Through this brief encounter in the grocery store, Mia realizes what makes her unique does not necessarily make her alone, and she learns there are others who have this condition. “They made me question the first eight years of my life, and now this little boy is making me question the last five. If he isn’t lying, if he really sees my name that way, then everything I thought I knew about myself is wrong.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 37)
Promotes empathy not pity
As a reader, it is easy to empathize with Mia, a middle schooler who comes clean to her friends and family about her differences. The story is told from Mia’s point of view, and as she navigates her changing world, the readers can relate to what a middle school student goes through. She continues to struggle in math like any other middle school student. Mass does not depict Mia’s teachers, family, or friends as pitying her once they find out she has synesthesia. They ask questions to understand better what she has been experiencing and are relieved when she connects with another child, Billy, whom she thinks may also have synesthesia.
Depicts acceptance not ridicule
Mia does experience some ridicule in 3rd grade, which leads to her keeping her synesthesia a secret. After learning about her synesthesia and sharing her diagnosis with her friends, Mia’s classmates are confused by her disability. They do not understand it, so they ask her questions about it. A few classmates do ridicule her after finding out what she has, but the majority of classmates are depicted as being curious instead of cruel. This would be common for any students if they were finding out about a disability they had never heard about. Mia’s classmates identify her by her disability when it first comes public. “Someone whispers, “That’s her. The girl who sees all the colors.” So that’s who I am now. The “girl who sees colors.” At least they don’t know I’m also the girl whose grandfather’s soul lives in her cat. They can’t take that away from me.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 99) She feels that their labeling of her does not explain who she is as a person. But they choose to initially identify her based on her disability. Later, the reader sees that Mia identifies with her disability and acknowledges that it is a part of her being. “All I am is the girl who is no longer special in any way. I’m the girl who is empty. Like a deflated helium balloon. I can’t believe this is how everyone else feels all the time.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 236) She is so familiar with being Mia with synesthesia that when she is unable to see colors, Mia does not want to experience the “normal” that other people feel. She considers her synesthesia to be her normal. “I’m having a hard time getting used to people calling my actions normal. “Your colors will return, Mia. I promise. And you’ll feel three-dimensional again.”… I’m still torn between wanting my colors back and feeling like it’s an appropriate punishment that they’re gone. I decide to leave it up to fate. If they come back, it won’t be because of anything I actively do.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 255)
Emphasizes success rather than, or in addition, to failure
Mia is artistically talented and attributes this to her synesthesia because it inspires her art. She also excels in some of her academic classes because she uses her synesthesia. “History is one of my favorite subjects because I’m good at it. Once I learn the date of a certain event, I can easily remember it by its colors. I remember names the same way.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 48)
Promotes positive images of persons with disabilities or illness; Demonstrates respect for persons with disabilities or illness; Promotes attitude of “one of us” not “one of them”
Mia enjoys having synesthesia because of how it helps her perceive the world. “I do want to be able to pass my classes, and it would be nice to be like everyone else. But if I couldn’t use my colors, the world would seem so bland- like vanilla ice cream without the gummy bears on top.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 110) Mia does not see her disability as a negative because it has helped her with her painting and some subjects in school. Mass does not explain synesthesia as being something negative. In fact, Jerry tells Mia and her mother, “Mia, you don’t have a disease. You don’t even have a problem, exactly. What you have, based on what your mother told me, is a condition that is harmless. It’s called synesthesia.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 103)
Assists children in gaining accurate understanding of the disability or illness; Describes the disability or person with disabilities or illness as realistic; Uses language which stresses person first, disability second philosophy
In a scene with Mia and her doctor, Mass tells us, “Imagine that the wires in your brain are crossed, not literally of course. In your case, your visual and hearing sense are linked. The visual cortex in your brain is activated when your auditory cortex is stimulated.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 103) The doctor gives Mia and her mother the medical definition of what synesthesia is, and earlier in the book Mia explains what she personally sees. “My sight is filled with blurry purple triangles and waves of green and floating black dots and balls of all sizes and shades of colors, spinning, swopping, swirling in front of me and across the room and in my mind’s eye. If I had been prepared, I would have been able to anticipate the onslaught, but now it is overwhelming and I feel like I’m suffocating.” (Mass, 2003, pg. 20) Mia is not given any special talents in the book. She is an average middle school student in all other aspects.
Illustrates characters in a realistic manner
This book is a young adult chapter book, so there are no illustrations. Mia is described as a typical middle school student who just also happens to have synesthesia.
OVERALL REACTION: This book portrays disability in a positive light. It touches on some of the negative experiences with having a disability, such as experiencing some teasing from classmates and siblings, and trying to overcome challenges while having a disability. Mia is happy to connect with other people who have synesthesia to hear their experiences and her family comes to understand that what she has is not something that can be easily changed. Her parents want her to be “normal” but Mia wants to continue being Mia. She is just happy to put a name with what she has.
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
Caitlin is a fifth grader who has Asperger’s syndrome. Her brother dies in a tragic accident, and Caitlin tries to cope with her emotions. She has a difficult time understanding her emotions and what she and others are feeling because she prefers things to be black and white. Caitlin meets a first grader named Michael on the playground one day, and he helps her learn about the world around her, while they both try to help each other cope with their losses.
Caitlin knows she is different and she is okay being different. She enjoys working alone instead of in a group for projects in class, and she likes to be by herself at recess. Her brother Devon helped her understand the world around her, but now that he is gone, her counselor Mrs. Brook is trying to help Caitlin learn the world.
Promotes empathy not pity
The reader feels empathy for Caitlin because she has recently lost her brother and is trying to adjust to life with just her father. Now, the children in school stare at her because her brother died. They have forgotten about her disability and have instead replaced it with a different label to identify her. Erskine does not let the reader pity Caitlin for having Asperger’s. We see her try to interact with her peers and different social groups, which would be hard for any elementary school child. “I wish people would follow the Facial Expressions Chart like they’re supposed to.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 29)
Depicts acceptance not ridicule; Emphasizes success rather than, or in addition, to failure
One of Caitlin’s classmates, Emma, puts forth an effort in being Caitlin’s friend. She compliments her artistic abilities at the fundraiser and invites her to be in a group project with her. Emma appears to accept Caitlin and encourages her friends to do the same. The classmates do not tease Caitlin for being different, but they tend to leave her be because that is what she prefers. Caitlin has a difficult time interpreting Emma’s actions towards her, but ultimately becomes a part of the group project. This is a success for Caitlin because she is being accepted by her peers.
Promotes positive images of persons with disabilities or illness
Erskine does not explain Caitlin’s disability with a negative tone. She speaks from Caitlin’s point of view, a black and white world trying to make sense of those around her. “You shouldn’t walk into someone else’s Personal Space. Especially not William H.’s. William H. is autistic. He’s in the other fifth-grade class. He has Mrs. Brook time too but Mrs. Brook says it’s good for everyone to be in a regular class. But he screams a lot so I’m glad he’s not in my class except for recess and PE.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 28) In this example, Caitlin is describing a fellow classmate. The reader does not learn more about autism beyond this exchange, and this may be because we are getting the description from Caitlin’s limited understanding.
Assists children in gaining accurate understanding of the disability or illness
The reader is only able to understand Asperger’s from Caitlin’s point of view. “I have to use the chart because when I look at real faces I don’t Get It. Mrs. Brook says people have a hard time understanding me because I have Asperger’s so I have to try extra hard to understand them and that means working on emotions.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 11) Caitlin does not seem to understand her own disability because she assumes Mrs. Brook has it as well. “We are at recess and I think Mrs. Brook might have Asperger’s too because she is very persistent which is one of my skills. She is stuck on her Let’s Make Friends idea even though I am making it very clear with my eyes that I am no longer interested in this conversation.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 81) Caitlin is a character that loves to read, so it would have been an opportunity for Erskine to explain more about Asperger’s and autism than just from Caitlin’s point of view.
Demonstrates respect for persons with disabilities or illness; Promotes attitude of “one of us” not “one of them”; Uses language which stresses person first, disability second philosophy
“‘Life is special.’ ‘You mean… it’s not just me who’s special? It’s all of life?’ ‘Yes.’ I guess the good news is that everybody has to put up with being special because everybody is alive.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 204) In speaking with her father, Caitlin learns that everyone has qualities that makes them unique. This contributes to an attitude of “one of us.” When describing Caitlin and William H., Erskine uses people-first language. There is an instance where the gym teacher makes a negative comment about autistic students and the reactions from Caitlin’s classmates help the reader to understand why this was not good. Emma sees Caitlin as her classmate and is quick to defend her to Mrs. Brook, for the gym teacher’s negative comment.
Describes the disability or person with disabilities or illness as realistic; Illustrates characters in a realistic manner
Caitlin is a typical fifth grader. She has her strengths and she has her weaknesses. Caitlin prefers things to be either or- she does not like ambiguity. “Sometimes I read the same books over and over and over. What’s great about books is that the stuff inside doesn’t change. People say you can’t judge a book by its cover but that’s not true because it says right on the cover what’s inside. And no matter how many times you read that book the words and pictures don’t change. You can open and close books a million times and they stay the same. They look the same. They say the same words. The charts and pictures are the same colors. Books are not like people. Books are safe.” (Erskine, 2010, pg. 34) This is a young adult chapter book so there are no illustrations, so the reader has to rely on the author’s description of the characters.
OVERALL REACTION: Erskine does a good job showing a fifth grader’s view of the world as someone who has Asperger’s. However, only being explained Asperger’s from the main character’s view limits the understanding of readers who may not know what Asperger’s is. They are only given Caitlin as a reference in an attempt to understand it. Because this book takes place after a major traumatic event, young readers may associate the event with Asperger’s and not realize that Caitlin had Asperger’s prior to her brother’s death. The author does mention it, but young readers may think Asperger’s can be the result of a traumatic event. This is a good book to help students what it may be like to be different from your classmates, and the struggles of fitting in. Luckily, Caitlin was able to make a friend in Michael, who helped her to gain a better understanding of the world around her.
References
Erskine, K. (2010). Mockingbird. New York: Puffin Books.
Mass, W. (2003). A Mango-Shaped Space. New York: Little, Brown and Company.