‘The hardest thing in the world is to convince a bird that he is free.’ – Jonathan Livingstone Seagull

Mafalda is now thirteen and has been blind since she was ten. She is coming to terms with her darkness, thanks in part to her beloved cat Ottimo Turcharet and loyal (if a little rebellious!) friend Filippo, who keeps her company and helps her on her way to school each day.

But Mafalda now has two bigger problems: her dad, who has been unemployed for six months and has fallen into depression, and Filippo might be becoming more than just a friend . . .

Then two new adults come into her life: Elsa, a homeless young woman Mafalda secretly brings food and blankets to and allows to stay in her garden shed – and Signor Nino, the elderly upstairs neighbour with an awful temper and a great passion for Charles Dickens and Great Expectations.

Little by little Mafalda learns their stories, how their lives were shaped by brave and difficult choices and through that how to make her own in order to face her own challenges.

A moving sequel to THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ME AND THE CHERRY TREE, showing little Mafalda growing up and making choices for her future.