Katrina started us off in our discussion of a A Mango - Shaped Space. We all rated the book on a scale of 1 to 10 and came up with numbers from 6-9. We all liked it, and some said it was their favorite book so far (with One Crazy Summer being the other contender for the number 1 spot).
Katrina and Phoebe shared what they learned about the author, Wendy Mass (or windy mass if not enunciated clearly). Wendy has written 12 books, some non-fiction and some fiction, and was encouraged by Judy Blume when they met and Wendy sent her a sample of her writing. We all agreed that Wendy is someone we'd like to meet given her life-sized poster of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, her interest in time travel, her list of favorite movies, and her desire to have the superpower of being able to turn time back one hour. Wendy believes that's just enough to correct any mistakes that might have been made. Layla remembered that it was in Galaxy Quest - one of Wendy's favorite movies - that being able to turn back the time a few minutes was a key part of the story line.
Olivia and Tricia were the Connectors and although Livi was unable to make most of the meeting (we missed you Olivia!), she did create an awesome video sharing her thoughts. Some of the themes Olivia highlighted included fitting in, friendships, self-esteem, keeping secrets, superstition, and death. Some of the books Olivia recommended as connecting to the ideas were The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Holes, The Tail of Emily WIndsnap, When You Reach Me, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Thirteen Gifts, My Dog Skip, Cat Heaven, Bridge to Terabithia, and Octavia Boone's Big Questions about Life, the Universe, and Everything. Tricia then talked about synesthesia and its connection to art and particular artists such as Kadinsky. Lady Gaga also says she has synesthesia and Mozart and Stevie Wonder are believed to be synesthetes. Tricia shared some paintings of Kadinsky.
Layla and Rebecca were the Illuminators and talked a bit further about a number of the themes raised by the Connectors, Olivia and Tricia. With respect to Mia and her synesthesia, she went from denial to discovery and embracing and celebrating her difference and then wanting to enhance it further by getting acupuncture. Layla also connected that to Mia being able to see Mango's trail of color as he was failing. Related to this idea was how each member of Mia's family was rather odd and different but that they all seemed comfortable with that and with their family as a whole being different. Death and loss was also a big theme of the book from the loss of Jenna's mother and Mia's grandfather, to Roger's dog, and Mango at the end, and the various ways of remembering the lost loved ones and how these losses connected them in different ways. Another key idea Layla and Rebecca talked about was Mia and Jenna's friendship, the challenges their friendship faced during the course of the book, and the symbolism of their friendship bracelets.
Ellie and Vanessa brought a delicous tofu loaf, along with different colored jellybeans and m&ms, blue tortilla chips, lemonade, and homemade mango ice cream - yum! They also shared some fun information about mangos.
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