Miracle

Bolstered by an undercurrent of hope, Chow’s unflinchingly raw debut explores the fraught relationship between a grieving daughter and mother during a father’s decline and death from cancer. Violinist Amie Cheung, a sixth grader, is always in harmony with her Ba-ba, who lives by a creed of hope, believing that “miracles happen every day,” and “divisi” with her mother, who lives by another rhythm. When Ba-ba’s cancer enters its final stages, affecting his personality, Amie feels out of sync with them both, and misses Ba-ba’s last moments after she stays home from the hospital. Experiencing guilt and grief, and brimming with suppressed anger as Mom works to “return to the everyday,” Amie feels unable to play her violin and distances herself from friends, struggling to create “a new harmony” that will bridge relationship gaps and relieve inner cataclysms. Portraying variations on grief experiences amid a community slowly adjusting after a shared loss, Chow honors the tween protagonist’s complexities and priorities as explored via Amie’s candid voice. Auditory imagery, Harry Potter references, and nods to the Chinese American family’s cultural expression ground the narrative, while chapter epigraphs define music theory metaphors. Concludes with an author’s note and musical glossary. Ages 8–12. Agent: Andrea Cascardi, Transatlantic Agency. (Mar.)