No Matter the Distance

In the first novel for young readers centered on a character with cystic fibrosis and written by an author who also has CF, a girl struggling to figure out who she is develops a bond with a stranded dolphin. A must-read for fans of Forget Me Not and Song for a Whale. Penny Rooney is stumped when she’s given the assignment to write a poem about herself. She thinks of herself as half of a whole with her best friend, Cricket—until she’s blindsided by the news that Cricket’s family is moving away in a matter of weeks. Then Penny and her sister see something impossible in the creek behind their house: a dolphin. Penny feels an immediate connection with the dolphin, who she names Rose. At the same time, Penny’s cystic fibrosis begins to flare up. The only thing that reassures her is Rose, who is also sick—she was diagnosed with pneumonia by a local marine biologist and is given antibiotics not unlike those Penny inhales every day. As much as Penny takes solace in her connection to Rose, she might also be the only person who can get Rose back to her pod. The longer Rose lingers in the river creek, the more danger she’s in. Will Penny be able to do what’s right, even if it means losing Rose?