About the Book: No Matter the Distance

Penny Rooney has cystic fibrosis (CF), 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. Then during spring break Penny spots something impossible in the creek behind her house: a dolphin, far from its home. 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?

About the Author: Cindy Baldwin

Cindy Baldwin is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Where the Watermelons Grow, Beginners Welcome, The Stars of Whistling Ridge and No Matter the Distance (a Junior Library Guild selection). She lives just outside Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter

No Matter the Distance - Discussion Questions

Programming for A Novel Idea begins on May 4, 2024.

Throughout the month, readers can explore and expound upon ideas found in Shark Heart and No Matter the Distance. Save the dates for a final author event featuring Emily Habeck on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at Caldera High School and a visit from the youth edition author, Cindy Baldwin, on Saturday, May 18, at the Downtown Bend Library. All programs, including the authors’ presentations, are free of charge thanks to the support of the Deschutes Public Library Foundation.

Copies of Shark Heart (Simon and Schuster) and No Matter the Distance (HarperCollins) can be checked out from the library or purchased from local bookstores.