Maybe It's a Sign

A hopeful and uplifting tale of loss, self-discovery, and the restorative powers of baking.

A thoughtful portrayal of big feelings around loss and healing. An author's note and recipes cap off this tender, wholesome story.

Thirteen-year-old Chinese American seventh grader Freya June Sun plays the viola in memory of her father, who died suddenly eight months ago. Having bonded with him over Chinese superstitions, Freya looks for signs--such as the two red birds she's constantly seeing--whenever she doubts her desire or ability to continue playing. After being partnered with Korean American schoolmate Gus Choi, whom Freya dubs "the most annoying kid on the planet," for a Cooking & Careers class project, Freya discovers an unexplored comfort in baking and, as she grows closer to Gus, makes a new and compassionate friend. As quiet and sensitive Freya struggles to manage increasingly frequent anxiety attacks, she also gains a deeper understanding of her newly single mother and finds an unlikely supporter and trusted confidant in her older sister. With endearing narration and quick pacing, this gentle meditation on grief and healing by Shen (The Comeback) carefully balances heavier moments of fraught emotion and high-stress situations with Freya's sweet memories of her father and her growing appreciation for her new life without him. Includes recipes. Ages 10-14. Agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Jan.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Shen's novel delightfully captures the vibrant personality of a thirteen-year-old coping with grief by learning new ways of honoring a loved one. 

★ Tender and deeply personal . . . Maybe It's a Sign is an earnest and memorable story about grieving and growing up. —Shelf Awareness, starred review

Combining a dash of wholesome middle school romance, a generous helping of familial support, and a sprinkling of self-made luck, Shen serves up a realistic portrayal of the many ways that grief and healing can take shape in our lives. A hopeful and uplifting tale of loss, self-discovery, and the restorative powers of baking. —Kirkus Reviews 

Touching and tender, Shen's novel delightfully captures the vibrant personality of a thirteen-year-old coping with grief by learning new ways of honoring a loved one. —Horn Book

Freya's reckoning with symbolism to connect with her deceased father is emotionally and culturally adept . . . The interrupted dynamics of a family unit are moreover depicted with compelling insight. A quiet, melancholic read adroitly lifted with just a baker's pinch of first-love sweetness, Freya's journey is sure to resonate with middle graders coming up against big changes and bigger feelings. —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 

With endearing narration and quick pacing, this gentle meditation on grief and healing by Shen carefully balances heavier moments of fraught emotion and high-stress situations with Freya's sweet memories of her father and her growing appreciation for her new life without him. —Publishers Weekly