The Distance between Me and the Cherry Tree

s she struggles with vision loss, Mafalda takes stock of her gains in this Italian import and debut.

Without her glasses, fifth grader Mafalda sees the world as a mist, a complication of her Stargardt disease, a rare form of macular degeneration. Because the mist will eventually turn into darkness, she keeps a list of “Things I care a lot about (but I won’t be able to do anymore).” In lyrical prose ably translated by Muir, Peretti, who also has Stargardt disease, takes readers through Mafalda’s school year as the preteen tracks the progression of her disease by crossing off the activities she can no longer perform and the decreasing number of steps it takes to reach the schoolyard cherry tree from when she can first see it. Many show more chapters end with a pleading to Cosimo, the protagonist of Italo Calvino’s The Baron in the Trees, for help. Young readers unfamiliar with this work will still understand Mafalda’s prayerlike requests to this spirited boy who chose to live among the trees and her own decision to live in the cherry tree. The sorrow of imminent darkness is tempered, however, by the girl’s friendships with the school custodian, a Romanian immigrant, and schoolmate Filippo, who lives with his single mother. Both experience their own losses and help Mafalda realize that life goes on with unexpected joys. A minor character is Indian; others are assumed to be white Europeans.

A quiet, philosophical story for thoughtful readers . (Fiction. 8-12)

-Kirkus Review show less

10-year-old Mafalda has Stargardt's disease, a form of macular degeneration that will soon take away her sight. As she struggles to accept the changes in her life, she finds support in unexpected places: Filippo, a boy at school with a reputation for being a troublemaker, and Estella, a school janitor who is dealing with her own personal challenges. Mafalda also finds solace in her and her father's favorite book, The Baron of the Trees, and in the cherry tree that grows on her school grounds, where she feels closest to her deceased grandmother.

I'm not going to mince words: this is the most depressing book I've read in a long time. The subject matter is grim, and all of the secondary characters are struggling in one way or another. It's show more a very adult book, for a children's book. I also felt that there were certain plot points that never got resolved (like when Mafalda stole some items from other students on a class trip), and the whole book felt like I was viewing it at a remove. It veered back and forth from realistic to slightly fantastical, with one foot in either camp. All in all, not a book I can see myself recommending. show less

Set in Italy, from the point of view of a young girl who is gradually growing blind. There are good things -- she makes a new friend, she has a loving family and an excellent cat, she befriends the janitor at school, and is starting to get excited about music. However, the plot is rambling -- half mystical in a kid sort of way -- her parents are missing a lot, and there's a whole half cocked plot to go live in the cherry tree for which she steals a bunch of her classmates' stuff that just never goes anywhere or gets resolved. Her janitor friend develops a terminal illness and the school has stuck her with a teacher who basically ignores her. It's a real mixed bag. I think there's way too much going on, and all of it feels foggy. Not at show more all my cup of tea -- unfortunately a real bummer of a book.

Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. show less

I read this novel after a Yr 7 student recommended it to me. She described it as "the best book I have ever read". While I can't make the same claim, I do understand why she liked it so much. "The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree" is the story of nine-year-old Mafalda who is rapidly losing her sight. The reader follows her journey as he vision worsens and her world becomes smaller and greyer.

Even though Mafalda never completely won my heart, I think the author did a great job showing the impact of Stargardts Disease from a child's perspective. Mafalda is terrified of the dark and she measures her deterioration by how close she needs to be to clearly see the cherry tree. At times she felt younger than her years due to her show more innocence and immaturity but I was glad she was surrounded by a supportive and caring group of people including friends and family. They also helped bring some life to this book.

Overall, "The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree" was a sweet story but it lacked the depth and emotion I was expecting. show less

Wie die Autorin selbst, so ist auch ihre Hauptfigur an Morbus Stargardt erkrankt. In nur wenigen Monaten wird das Mädchen Mafalda erblinden. Die Tage bis dahin zählt sie an den Schritten, die sie von ihrem Kirschbaum trennen. Das Buch schildert aus Sicht von Mafalda, also aus einer kindlichen Sicht, wie es ist immer mehr zu erblinden. Sie verliert vieles dadurch. In Listen hält sie ihre Verluste fest, den Verlust der Freundin und einiges mehr, Sie hat aber auch Menschen an ihrer Seite, die sie unterstützen. Hierbei ist neben ihrem Freund Filippo die Hausmeisterin Olga besonders wichtig. Olga und ihre fantasievollen Erzählungen von Amazonen und anderem mag ich im Buch besonders gern.