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 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. ( )

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 all my cup of tea -- unfortunately a real bummer of a book.

Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

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 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. ( )