Books like A Mango-Shaped Space

A vibrant, sensory coming-of-age journey that paints the struggles of adolescence in a wholly unique palette. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with A Mango-Shaped Space.

sensory
tender
poignant
warm

01
Every soul a star
Wendy Mass
A warm, starry-eyed exploration of how the universe brings the most unlikely people together.
Shares:
- warm
- earnest
- empathetic
- introspective
02
The sky is everywhere
Jandy Nelson
A vibrant, messy, and deeply poetic exploration of how a heart can simultaneously break from grief and burst with new love.
Shares:
- earnest
03
The thing about jellyfish
Ali Benjamin
A quiet, aching exploration of grief that uses the wonders of the natural world to make sense of the unimaginable.
Shares:
- tender
- earnest
04
11 Birthdays
Wendy Mass
A warm, time-bending exploration of childhood friendship and the magic required to mend a broken bond.
Shares:
- warm
- earnest
05
Counting by 7s
Holly Goldberg Sloan
A tender, quirky exploration of grief that blossoms into a heartwarming celebration of found family and the beautiful logic of the natural world.
Shares:
- tender
- warm
- earnest
06
Elsewhere
Gabrielle Zevin
A bittersweet, imaginative exploration of what it means to live, even after life has ended.
Shares:
- earnest
07
The truth about forever
Sarah Dessen
A sun-soaked summer of chaotic catering gigs, found family, and learning to let go of the need to be perfect.
Shares:
- earnest
- introspective
- gentle
08
Mockingbird
Kathryn Erskine
A tender, literal-minded exploration of grief that slowly colors outside the lines of a black-and-white world.
Shares:
- tender
- poignant
- earnest
09
When you reach me
Rebecca Stead
A clever, time-bending puzzle box wrapped in the warm, nostalgic coat of a 1970s New York childhood.
Shares:
- earnest
10
The miscalculations of Lightning Girl
Stacy McAnulty
A big-hearted, numbers-driven journey about calculating the messy, beautiful variables of friendship and stepping outside your comfort zone.
Shares:
- tender
- earnest
- empathetic
- gentle
11
Playlist for the Dead
Michelle Falkoff
A poignant, music-infused journey through the messy, confusing aftermath of losing a best friend.
Shares:
- earnest
- empathetic
12
Things hoped for
Andrew Clements
A tense but hopeful exploration of artistic ambition, sudden independence, and the mysteries hidden within our own families.
Shares:
- earnest
- empathetic

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