Send Me a Sign
Seventeen-year-old Mia Moore believes in signs, and she makes decisions based on her daily horoscope, tarot cards, and even a Magic 8 Ball. Schmidt’s debut hinges on a doozy of a decision: Should Mia tell her friends she has been diagnosed with cancer? When all signs point to no, Mia leads her friends to believe she is in Connecticut visiting her grandparents instead of at the hospital. The one exception is her longtime neighbor, Gyver (as in MacGyver), who is right there with her through her first round of chemotherapy. Mia manages to deflect questions about her shrinking frame and thinning hair, as well as lengthy absences from school—perhaps a little longer than is believable. Eventually readers will wonder why, oh why, can’t her friends puzzle it out? The novel feels overly long, but it heats up midway through as friendships are called into question, parental nerves start to fray, and a love triangle blooms. Girls who gravitate toward problem novels, and enjoy stories of romance and complex female friendships, will stick by Mia’s side. Grades 8-12. --Ann Kelley