How to use this Page

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
by Wendy Mass

I'd heard of A MANGO SHAPED SPACE, a book about a 13 year old girl with synesthesia, but I'd never read it when I came across JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE at my local library. 

The first line, "my sweat smells like peanut butter" is one of the things that intrigued me enough to check this book out. 
The book follows 12-year-old Jeremy Fink through the summer before he becomes an official teenager. His father, who died when Jeremy was eight, has left behind a mysterious locked wooden box for Jeremy to open on his 13th birthday, but somehow the keys were lost. Now Jeremy has a deadline to find the keys which will open the box and reveal the meaning of life. According to his father's carving on the top of the box, that's exactly what's inside. To do this, Jeremy must think OUTSIDE the box, something he's not used to doing. He never leaves his own neighborhood unless he has to. Heck, he doesn't even like to try new foods. With the help of his lifelong best friend, Lizzy, Jeremy takes on the quest to find the meaning of life and meets all sorts of people along the way.

I enjoyed the storytelling style and the humor of Wendy Mass. Parts of the book seem to resolve a little too conveniently, and there are a couple of non-essential characters whose introduction remain a mystery to me (new neighbors Samantha & Rick), but overall, I'd say this one is worth the read. My nine-year-old son enjoyed Jeremy's character and voice, too.

I'll look for A MANGO SHAPED SPACE during my next trip to the library!

Is there room for one more member?

I haven't read a book this good...this SATISFYING for I don't know how long! Thank you, Wendy Mass for Jeremy and Lizzy and for reminding me of all those things I already knew (especially the story about the two wolves), and thank you, Franki, for being so rabid about this book. It wouldn't have made it to the top of my to-read pile so fast if it weren't for your enthusiasm. What WERE the Newbery Committee members THINKing when they passed THIS one BY?!?!

One more thank you -- to the universe, for this snow day in which I have done nothing but lay about in my pj's and read. Quite a contrast to the person I was yesterday, all full of my important lesson plans and all the work we need to accomplish before the end of the trimester. Just goes to show...well, I'm not sure what it goes to show, but in case any of my students (or more likely, their parents) are reading this, I promise that I'll do some school work after we take dog and XC skis and snowshoes over to the OSU golf course Griggs Reservoir for a snowy romp. (A POX on OSU for closing the golf course to sledders and skiers! How unsporting of them! Afraid we'd mess up the precious greens? Grrrrr...) And in the extremely unlikely event that my back surgeon is reading this, no, I am not going to ski before I've even been cleared for PT. I'm going to WALK. You didn't tell me I couldn't walk with snowshoes on my feet.