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Recipient of a Batchelder Honor Ten-year-old Mafalda hides the fact that she is going blind from her family and friends in this lyrical, bittersweet debut novel from Italian author Paola Peretti that shows you how to overcome the darkness—even when you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. There are a lot of things ten-year-old Mafalda cares a lot about. Like, counting the stars in the night sky, playing soccer, and climbing the cherry tree outside her school. Mafalda even goes so far as to keep a list of all these things, because soon she won’t be able to do them anymore—because she’s going blind. Even with her bad eyesight Mafalda can see that people are already treating her differently—and that’s the last thing she wants. So, she hides the fact that her vision is deteriorating faster than anyone predicted, and she makes a plan: When the time is right, she’ll go live in the cherry tree, just like her favorite book character. But as Mafalda loses her sight, surprising things come in to focus. With the help of her family and friends both old and new, Mafalda discovers the things that matter most.

Times are tough for Santa. He's tightened his belt, made the reindeer redundant and now it's time to get a second job. But finding work is not easy at all, even if you’re Santa – he tries being a waiter, a party entertainer, and even works in a call centre. He finally finds the perfect job to be useful to the community – the bin man! Santa discovers that waste can conceal wonderful gifts, and he is soon back on his sled delivering toys made from recycled materials. When Santa finds some lost letters from years ago in the bin, begging to meet him, he sets out to find their owner. Will he be able to find them and finally grant their wish before Christmas Day? Hilarious and heartwarming, Santa Gets a Second Job is the perfect present for Santa fans of all ages from Michele D'Ignazio and Sergio Olivotti.