No Matter the Distance
by Cindy Baldwin (Author)
An unexpected animal companion helps a girl with cystic fibrosis learn to write her own story in this captivating novel in verse by award-winning author and disabled activist Cindy Baldwin.
Penny Rooney has cystic fibrosis, which means she has to do breathing treatments to help her lungs work. Some days, it seems like her CF is the only thing Penny knows about herself for sure.
From her point of view, everyone around her can make sense of their place in the world. So why can't Penny even begin to write a poem about herself for school?
Then during spring break Penny spots something impossible in the creek behind her house: a dolphin, far from its home. Penny names the dolphin Rose and feels an immediate bond, since the dolphin is also sick.
But as Penny's CF worsens, she realizes that Rose needs to return to her pod to get better. Will Penny be able to help guide Rose back to the ocean, even if it means losing her friend?
This heartwarming story, which marks the first time an author with cystic fibrosis is writing a protagonist with CF, will transport readers into a world full of friendship, family, and powerful self-discovery.
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Kirkus
Poignantly navigates an array of tough emotions.
School Library Journal
Gr 3-7--Sixth grader Penny has cystic fibrosis, but she's not a tragic figure. She's sick, but a full person. This novel-in-verse follows a framing device of Penny's poetry slam identity assignment, drawn out against her best friend moving, a CF health dip, and best of all, a dolphin floundering in her backyard creek. The poetry angle is slight--the words are straightforward, without many poetic elements--but it does make this story fast-paced. Baldwin notes that she has read books about characters with cystic fibrosis, but never written by someone who had the diagnosis. To her they felt cheap, mawkish. She changes that with this novel, and the difference in hearing it from her mouth is palpable. Cystic fibrosis is a plot point but not the plot point. This quick read also manages to show terrific character growth. Penny accepts the full spectrum of emotion. She realizes she can be lucky and angry, terrified and brave simultaneously. Main characters are cued as white. VERDICT This book will draw upper elementary and lower middle grade students in with the cute animal relationship but will keep them engaged with the emotionally complex, nuanced depiction of a young girl with cystic fibrosis.--Cat McCarrey
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
No Matter the Distance weaves an intimate, personal story of life with cystic fibrosis and a universal story of self-discovery into a luminous tale of friendship, family, and belonging. — Joy McCullough, author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost
No Matter the Distance hooked me hard from the beginning and just swept me through with so much heart and resonance throughout. — Stephanie Burgis, author of The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart
JUV013060 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Parents
JUV039150 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Special Needs
JUV024000 - Juvenile Fiction | Lifestyles | Country Life
JUV002170 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Marine Life
Family life
Novels in verse
North Carolina
Cystic fibrosis
Dolphins
Loss
