A Junior Library Guild Selection "Tender and deeply personal . Maybe It's a Sign is an earnest and memorable story about grieving and growing up." --Shelf Awareness, starred review "A thoughtful portrayal of big feelings around loss and healing. An author's note and recipes cap off this tender, wholesome story." -- Booklist "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.