The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree by Paola Peretti, Translated by Denise Muir

 

CITATION: Peretti, Paola. The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree. Translated by Denise Muir, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2020. 

CHARACTERS: The main character in the book is Mafalda, a 10-year-old Italian girl who is slowly losing her eyesight due to Stargardts disease. Within the book, Mafalda interacts with other characters like her parents, kids at school, and one special custodian who helps her cope with her disease. The translation of the book does not give much detail about Mafalda and her Italian culture, it is more focused on this specific time in Mafalda’s life and her battle with her disease. 

Mafalda’s parents, who are unnamed, bring a very realistic approach to her disease. They are of course very concerned about the progression of her disease and are working to create an attainable lifestyle for themselves while keeping her disability in mind. 

Estella is a custodian at her school who teaches her about resilience and the importance of believing in yourself. She doesn’t “baby” Mafalda, but she does care for her and helps her get a better grasp on her world. 

Fillipo is the school bully who becomes close friends with her. He comes from a lower SES background, but Mafalda and her family begin to let him into their lives and her parents help care for him by providing him with basic needs like a new jacket and dinner. Although Fillipo is considered a bully, it’s very evident that he loves Mafalda and would do anything to keep her safe and show her a new world of music without sight. 

Another character that is consistently alluded to is Mafalda’s grandmother who passed away prior to the novel. Mafalda believes her grandmother went to live in a cherry tree, which is what prompts Mafalda to want to live in the cherry tree instead of her new apartment.

SETTING: The story is set in an Italian town near Verona. Majority of the story is focused on Mafalda’s house and neighborhood. The setting is crucial to the plot because a big reason why Mafalda wants to move into the cherry tree is because her family is moving out of their old house so they can afford a smaller apartment and her mom is able to stay home with her to care for her full time. 

CULTURAL VALUES: Throughout the book you can tell that there is a huge emphasis on the importance of family. Mafalda’s family doesn’t leave her to her own devices. They tend to care so much for her that she gets bothered because she’s not able to be as independent as she would like. Throughout the book Mafalda is shown to share a lot of meals with her family and friends. Food is a huge symbol of family connection and care. We can see it when Mafalda’s dad orders pizza for her and Fillipo when they visit his house, or when Mafalda goes to her family’s house for the holidays and they are being fed and shown that they care for each other. 

The entire book is focused on Mafalda’s disability, which brings to light other’s attitudes towards disabilities. Mafalda recounts an experience she had with one of her best friends and how their friendship fell apart due to her disability and an incident that occurred because she could not see a cup of water. 

Another layer to this story is Estella’s Romanian background. She shares folklores about Amazonian women who are strong and can get through anything. These stories and Estella’s background are very important because it is what Mafalda relies on to grow her resilience and accept her disability. 

OVERALL QUALITY: The book invites reflection from all readers, young and old. While the book explores themes of grief, it handles it in a way that is very manageable for a middle-grade reader. The reader is given the chance to be in Mafalda’s shoes for just a moment and experience the loss of her vision, as well as some of the closest people around her. While on this journey, the reader also experiences the resilience that Mafalda displays. 

The book is classified as contemporary realistic fiction, and although the story line is one that most people would not want to experience, it is based on the author’s real experiences. The plot is authentic to the circumstance and helps develop Mafalda into a strong and resilient character.  

The book is written in short and easy to read language for middle-grade students to understand. It is also written from a first-person point of view, which allows the reader to empathize with Mafalda. In the edition of the book that I read there were very minimal illustrations. Mafalda’s face is not shown in the illustrations; it is typically her back, the cherry tree, or the black dot that is slowly taking over her field of vision. I feel like this is very intentional to allow the reader to put themselves into Mafalda’s place. 

REVIEWS AND AWARDS: 

• Kirkus Reviews, 2019: “A quiet, philosophical story for thoughtful readers.” 

• Book Trust, 2018: “Tender and thought-provoking, with a powerful but unforced message.” 

• ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2020 

• Mildred L. Batchelder Award Honor Book, 2020 

CONNECTIONS:

• Students could attempt a simulation and try to complete various tasks (walking in the library, using a device, reading a note, writing in a notebook, etc.) while being blindfolded or wearing blurred lenses. Afterwards, students can have a reflective discussion about their experiences and Mafalda’s experiences. 

• Students can read Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper or El Deafo by Cece Bell after reading this book.