Available Formats
How To Draw A Secret
By (Author) Cindy Chang
Illustrated by Cindy Chang
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
HarperCollins
4th June 2025
United States
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories
741.5973
Hardback
272
For fans of Raina Telgemeiers Sisters and Jen Wangs Stargazing comes the empowering autobiographical story of a young Taiwanese American artist struggling to find her voice to save what matters most.
Twelve-year-old Cindy relishes drawing flawless images, but she is stumped by an art contest prompt: What family means to me.No one at school can know that Cindys dad moved back to Taiwan four years ago, so Cindy sketches out the perfect plan to draw the perfect picture while keeping her parents separation secret.
Then an unexpected trip to Taipei reveals devastating new secrets. Suddenly everything from Cindy's art to her family is falling apart.With her dream of perfection in tatters, Cindy must figure out how to draw from her heart and share her secrets. But can she really reveal the truth, messy lines and all
"Phenomenal and powerful. No family is perfect, but How to Draw a Secret is a truly perfect read. I wish I had had this book as a kid." -- --Christina Soontornvat, three-time Newbery Honor recipient and author of The Tryout
"Brilliant! You will want to reread this again and again." -- --Jennifer L. Holm, three-time Newbery Honor recipient and New York Times bestselling co-creator of Sunny Side Up
"How to Draw a Secret is deeply a beautiful book: beautiful to look at, and especially beautiful because of the total honesty in Cindy's confusion, determination, and love for her flawed family." -- --Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and bestselling author of A Long Walk to Water
"A moving portrayal of a family processing fraught, messy changes." -- Kirkus Reviews
"The sunny color palette and emotive facial expressions inject lightheartedness into the tween's grappling with her parents' secrets and her own shifting perspective. Readers will root for her growth as an artist and budding adolescent as she embraces the sometimes messy parts of life."
-- Publishers Weekly
Cindy Chang was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and holds degrees in education and computer science. She works as a digital product designer in addition to writing and illustrating children's books. How to Draw a Secret is her first book. Cindy Chang was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and holds degrees in education and computer science. She works as a digital product designer in addition to writing and illustrating children's books. How to Draw a Secret is her first book.