GIRL IN SHADES

Sweetly funny and deeply perceptive, this novel follows eleven-year-old Maya Devine's search for her mother, her father, and above all, herself, offering a fresh take on what it means to grow up and discover who you really are. Maya has always seen color around people's bodies, and can sometimes even hear what's going on inside their heads. These insights make everyone a bit more interesting, but the one person she'll never figure out is her mother. Marigold has never been like the other moms, but still, Maya sometimes feels like she is all she has.

When Marigold is diagnosed with cancer and vows to spend her final days in the tepee she's set up in the backyard, neighbors and strangers, believing the dying Marigold to be a prophet, camp out in front of the family's house. As her father grows ever more distant, Maya finds solace in the music of Corey Hart, but when Marigold's death leaves questions unanswered, she sets off to discover the truth about her family and identity.

Allison Baggio is a writer whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and publications, including Room, sub-Terrain Magazine, Today's Parent, and the Toronto Star. She is a graduate of York University and the Humber School for Writers.