Pay in installments of $7.99 with
,
and
Shipping Estimate
USA
- USA
- CAN
- USA
- CAN
Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Aug 7 - Aug 12
Promo Codes Available:
For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15
Description
How to Draw a Secret: A Graphic NovelFor fans of Raina Telgemeier's Sisters and Jen Wang's 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 Cindy's dad moved back to Taiwan four years ago, so Cindy sketches out the perfect plan to
For fans of Raina Telgemeier's Sisters and Jen Wang's 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 Cindy's 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?
Author: Cindy Chang
Publisher: Allida
Published: 02/04/2025
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.50w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780358659655
Audience: Ages 9-12
Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2024
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2025
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2025 pg. 65
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Superior,Well Above Average
About the Author
Chang, Cindy: -
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.
Shipping Notes
- Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
- Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
- Delivery to the USA:
- Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
- If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
- We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
- Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
- To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
- Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
4.7 ★★★★★
Based on 5 reviews
Sort
Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Beneath the perfect surface
Format: Kindle
Yesteryear completely caught me off guard in the best possible way. What begins as a fascinating look into social media influence, curated perfection, and historical living slowly unfolds into something far deeper and far more emotional than I expected.
The storytelling was incredibly well done, especially the way the author balanced the polished modern influencer world against the harsh realities of 1800s frontier life. The transitions between timelines and perspectives were seamless, and by the end, every piece fit together in a way that completely redefined the story.
What made this especially compelling for me was how layered Natalie’s character felt. Her upbringing, family expectations, faith, public image, and the pressure to maintain perfection all shaped the choices she made throughout the story. Rather than feeling one-dimensional, she felt like someone slowly buckling under the weight of everything she believed she was supposed to be.
The emotional impact of this book surprised me. Beneath the historical elements and social media commentary is a story about identity, appearances, family, and the toll that constant performance can take on a person and those around them.
This is one of those books where the less you know going in, the better the experience will be. I expected an entertaining premise, but I ended up with a story that lingered long after I finished the final page.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2026
★★★★★ 3
About that twist…
Format: Kindle
SPOILER ALERT!
The thing about big, improbable twists in stories is that the less time you have to think about them, the better their effect. For fans of the classic TV show The Twilight Zone, it has always been clear that the half-hour shows were far better and far more punchy and memorable than their rather sad hour-long cousins. And a book has far, far more time to contemplate a twist than a TV show.
Unfortunately, despite some pointed observations by the author (narcissistic people are pretty much unlikable, cruelty and brutality give power to weak men, abused children very often cling to their abusers), the big, improbable twist in Yesteryear almost completely sinks the story.
The twist is the same one that sank M. Night Shyamalan’s 2004 movie The Village, and it fares no better here. Yes, people can and do live off the grid. But avoiding every single sign of civilization for years on end? Even if you’re not in a commercial flight path, there are such things as helicopters and small private planes, especially in remote areas. Perhaps people rarely stray onto private land in the wilderness, but once in a while, stray they do. And when that wilderness home was once widely publicized? Excuse me, but people are going to look for it.
This is all not to say that Yesteryear was not entertaining - it was. I read it in one sitting. The characters, as unlikable and unreliable as they are, were well drawn. A couple of the children were also quite believable, but the author’s excuse for the rest of the kids being cyphers was that their mother saw them as cyphers as well. Okay, that’s fair, but knowing them better would have enhanced the story for the reader.
This is certainly a promising book. It held my attention and was very well-written. But that twist - well, it sank M. Night Shyamalan, too.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2026
★★★★★ 4
Good read
Format: Hardcover
This book has been getting a lot of hype, and I can understand why. First, it is a very unique storyline. Very different plot. Second, the main character, Natalie, is totally unlikable. In fact, I would honestly say I loathed her. She has no likeable qualities whatsoever. I guess that is what makes you want to keep reading, to find out what happens to this nasty woman. That said, I admit I was confused at the end. I am still not sure what exactly happened to Natalie, how the situation came about, and how 10 years went by when Natalie seemed to only be telling a few months time. Was she delusional? Did she have a mental breakdown? I wish it was more clear as to what exactly happened.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2026
★★★★★ 5
What did i spend so much time reading??
Format: Kindle
Spoilers ahead This book makes me angry. A misogynistic fable that holds women as mothers as inherently either deeply flawed or as if some fairy tale perfect mother exists. I found the early parts of the novel quite funny. Thinking this poor woman why do people expect such crazy standards? Also social media influencers somehow we are to take for reality? It is entertaining and that's why we want to spend our time looking at it. It is a fantasy world. Yet that is somehow turned from something comical and poignant dissolving into madness where there can be a 16 year old that can take away your children for what I'm not sure. Filming them? Having nannies? And then again the next bunch for living off the grid? I get that this isn't going for realism. It ultimately became for me this poorly written satire maybe? Obviously what started as comically intriguing for me descended into one totally crazy crazy turn to the darkest of places. I recognize this was supposed to be some sort of cracked fairytale where nearly everyone is evil and/or mental but 30 years for child abuse? This is like a nightmare not a thriller. The book demonstrates a hatred for mothers. Just awful! It made me crave for a totally unrealistic thriller. I came to be entertained and left pissed off.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Excellent satire of tradition cult
Format: Kindle
I read this book in two days. I was eager to read it once I read the description in a Facebook post. I am a theologically conservative Christian frustrated with the tradition culture that has co-opted the faith. I see this in my social and social media circles quite a bit, and I was intrigued by a novel that took this movement to task.
Furthermore, I truly enjoy well done satire and farce. I have had a hard time finding these works written well in the past, so I was bracing myself to be disappointed. I am thankful to say, I wasn’t. I didn’t expect the novel to go the way it did (and no, I won’t post spoilers), but I literally laughed out loud a several points.
Let me compliment the author for one particular point: She doesn’t just blast the “tradwife” movement. Plenty of cultural movements and groups of people have their sins exploited. Rather than shooting a 12-gauge at religious conservatives, she takes a Tommy gun and hits a wide range of systems.
I do want to warn squeamish readers about another issue: The novel can be quite graphic at times, explicitly detailing the intimacy struggles with the main couple. It borders on the pornographic side, but not for titillation. It’s meant to show the dysfunction in the supposedly happy couple.
There were quite a few humorous moments, such as the protagonist enjoying the sounds of the chickens, only to grow wistful about their impending deaths so she can taste chicken broth. Or the protagonist’s evangelical mother reacting to her son-in-law’s purchase of a yoga mat.
I was a little disappointed in the resolution of the central issue, i.e., the time travel. But overall, the novel was an enjoyable read and worth your time.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2026