Today's book was chosen by my students for me to read. Wendy Mass was my school's visiting author last year and my students really enjoy her books--one of which came out as a movie last fall--Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.
Mia appears normal, but she's been hiding something for as long as she can remember--sounds, numbers and words all have colors. As a child, she thought everyone saw colors, but in 3rd grade she found out that she was a "freak" in the eyes of her classmates.
As she enters 8th grade, Mia is terrified of taking Spanish and pre-algebra...because the Spanish words don't have the same color as the corresponding word in English, so it is difficult for her to connect the words, and pre-algebra is difficult because "Normally an x is a shiny maroon color, like a ripe cherry. But here an x has to stand for an unknown number. But I can't make myself assign the x any other color than maroon, and there are no maroon-colored numbers. Without the color, I don't know how to proceed."
After she fails two math quizes, Mia has to come clean with her parents about what is going on. Fortunately, they are eventually able to find a diagnosis--synesthesia, a mingling of the senses--and Mia finds ways to work around her gift.
Makes me wonder what having this ability would be like--and what color my name would be....
I really enjoyed this title and I will read more by Wendy Mass in the future.
Happy Reading!!
No comments:
Post a Comment