How to Draw a Secret

Gr 4-8–Cindy’s dad has been absent from their family home for years yet her friends and teachers have no idea, and her mom spends tons of energy making sure nobody finds out. When Cindy’s grandma dies back in Taiwan, Cindy, her older sisters, and her mom must travel there to observe her funeral rites with their estranged father. While in Taiwan, Cindy soon discovers the cause of her father’s absence and the depth of the secret that her mother and sisters have been keeping from her. Ultimately, she voices to the pain and hurt that have been building within herself. This main plot is framed by a school assignment given by Cindy’s teacher—to enter an art competition with the prompt of depicting “What Family Means to Me.” The earnest 12-year-old is conflicted about whether to present a literal perfect picture of a family that doesn’t exist or express her anger with her family’s betrayal. This is a difficult but vital story of painfully protecting and ultimately shattering the facade of a perfect family. With emotional support, hard conversations, necessary conflict, and cautious reconciliation, Cindy is able to create a new vision of her family, literally, through the medium of her artwork. Cindy’s story is that of the author herself, which makes the book all the more powerful and intense.