Maybe It’s a Sign
by E. L. Shen
Middle School    Farrar    240 pp.
1/24    9780374390778    $17.99
e-book ed.  9780374390785    $10.99

Freya June Sun, a seventh grader grappling with grief eight months after her father’s death, clings to Chinese superstitions for connection. The superstitions, passed down by her father, frequently disrupt her reality, making a pair of red birds or upright chopsticks in rice bowls harbingers of luck or misfortune. Desperate to continue meeting her father’s expectations, Freya forces herself to keep playing the viola although she secretly hates it. Quiet, introspective Freya is overlooked in her household and kept at a distance from her older sister, climate activist May, who is constantly at odds with their mother. Unable to find much comfort with her childhood best friends, Freya befriends her former nemesis, Korean American Gus Choi. As they navigate a school assignment together, Gus’s culinary skills and unwavering support spark a passion for baking in Freya. (Two recipes for baked goods that evoke pleasant memories of her father are appended.) In an author’s note, Shen shares her personal story of experiencing loss at a young age, offering a message to anyone who has had a similar experience: “I’m proud of you for pushing on. Like Freya’s red birds, I hope you continue to soar.” 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.

Pubissue-From the March/April 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.