My Sweet Orange Tree

My Sweet Orange Tree (Portuguese: Meu Pé de Laranja Lima), is a novel by José Mauro de Vasconcelos. The book was first published in 1968 and it was used for literature classes for elementary schools in Brazil. Also, it has been translated and published in US and Europe.

The novel is part of a tetralogy written by Vasconcelos and centered on different stages in the life of the protagonist, Zeze, and by extension, Vasconcelos' life as well. The four books were published in a disorganized order, following an aleatory chronology instead of a direct one. The direct continuation of the story, Doidão, was actually published in 1963, five years before My Sweet Orange Tree, and follows the life of Zeze during his adolescence.

A film adaptation was released in 2012.

Zeze is a young boy who lives in Bangu, Rio de Janeiro with his underprivileged family. Because everyone is busy trying to support the family, Zeze is usually left by himself with his baby brother Luis, and ends up doing mischievous deeds that make his parents and older siblings so mad that they would physically discipline him for what he did.

After Zeze’s father got fired, the whole family moves and the new house has a few trees that each siblings claim. After having all the trees being taken, Zeze gets upset, but one of his older sister, Gloria, suggest him to check the backyard and soon Zeze discovers a small orange tree. At first sight, Zeze doesn’t like his tree, but he finds out that amazingly, he can communicate with it. He gives the tree a name, Minguinho and the two become best friends.

Even after meeting a companion, Zeze’s naughty pranks continue and finally he decides to hang on the back of car of Portuguese man named Manuel Valadares. Unfortunately Zeze gets busted and Valadares humiliates him in public, making Zeze to promise himself to revenge. However, Valadares takes Zeze’s attitude as being a kid and offers Zeze a friendship. With this relationship, Zeze learns what real love is.

The two of them share many memories as good friends, but sadly, Valadares dies in a train accident. Zeze goes through serious mental trauma that causes illness. At the end, Zeze overcomes the trauma, but loses the ability to talk to Minguinho. Zeze also hears the news from his father that he has got a new job and their life will be better. However, Zeze confesses how he considers to have killed his father in his mind for the treatment he has had and express sorrow for losing his ‘real’ father, Manuel Valadares.

...
Wikipedia