Filippo, Me and the Cherry Tree

Full of beautifully rich description and insight, Filippo, Me and the Cherry Tree tells the story of Mafalda navigating life as a visually impaired teenager. Like most young people, friendships are everything to her. When mean girl teasing pushes her best friend Filippo away, Mafalda is challenged to hold on to her positive outlook. With the help of new friends, she learns to be brave and honest about what she really wants.
This lovely story bridges the Teen gap between Middle Grade and Young Adult. Relationships become more complicated, friendships turn into something more and choices become all that more difficult.

-- Kate Heap * Scope for Imagination *

Filippo, Me and the Cherry Tree is a translated novel about a young girl, Mafalda, who throughout the story is navigating a number of difficult issues life can throw at us. The reader meets Mafalda at age 13 and a half and her precious cat Otimmo Turcaret. She has lost her sight, she is coping with the loss of a dear friend, she is attempting to understand the complexities that arise with pubescent friendships, her father is locked in a crippling state of depression and, if that was not enough, she is falling in love with her best friend, Filippo.
There are a number of themes throughout the book. The first is that of sight. The attention to sensory description is prevalent throughout the story highlighting the enhanced use of her other senses now Mafalda's sight has gone.
'...the sun streams in from the balcony and warms my face, and I can hear the sound of my school across the road. Kids are already beginning to gather outside the gate and the hum they're making sounds like lightning crackling'.
Following the theme of loss of sight, is the world of darkness both literally and metaphorically. Mafalda's existence in darkness is mirrored by the dark world of depression in which her dad finds himself. 'I usually imagine words of hope, or just nice words in general, to be the colour blue. Dad's words have no colour'. Mafalda has a warm, caring character which makes for a considerate protagonist. Throughout the book, she seeks ways to support her dad through this tricky time. Anyone who has supported a loved one through depression can relate to her plight. The concern and support she shows throughout the story for the well-being of her father are further gifted to two other lonely characters in the book. Mr Rossi, the aged actor who lives upstairs and mentors Mafalda through her literature studies, and Elsa, the nomadic, rebellious, free-spirited hippy lady Mafalda befriends after encountering her market stall.
This theme of friendship is prevalent. The complexities of friendships and relationships are woven throughout the story with Fillipo, Mafalda's loyal lifelong friend, Estella, her Romanian friend and the cherry tree, the symbol of safety and escape for Mafalda. The reader also observes Mafalda deal with Debbie, a more difficult character and classmate.
The book is beautifully written. It is organised into chapters each with its own heading and all beginning with a recording of Mafalda's audio journal. The simplicity of the language and structure serves the unravelling of the very complex themes. There is so much to explore and escape into with this book. A definite for the Upper Key Stage Two reading corner and school library.

-- Lucy Timmons * Just Imagi