Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 07/01/2019 Ten-year-old Mafalda has Stargardt disease, a rare genetic disorder resulting in the gradual loss of vision and eventual blindness. Unbeknownst to the people around Mafalda, it’s progressing quicker than expected, and she’s rapidly trying to check items off her list of things she loves that she won’t be able to do anymore once the dark sets in. Mafalda’s life and the people around her are changing, but she has a plan of her own; to live in the cherry tree in front of her school like her favorite book character. Peretti, who was diagnosed with the same illness as a teenager, provides a tunnel of light for readers to reach for. Due perhaps in part to the translation and to writing reflectively, the voice sometimes quivers between young and much older, but it contains revelatory foresight. Peripheral characters like a loyal cat offset the heaviness of the story, which is accented by beautiful yet somber grayscale illustrations. - Copyright 2019 Booklist. Loading...
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