Pie in the Sky
by Remy Lai (Author) Remy Lai (Illustrator)
A poignant, laugh-out-loud illustrated middle-grade novel about an eleven-year-old boy's immigration experience, his annoying little brother, and their cake-baking hijinks! Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang!
- A Parents Magazine Best Kids Book of the Year!
- A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year!
- An NPR Best Book of the Year!
- A Horn Book Best Book of the Year!
- A Kirkus Best Book of the Year!
- Recipient of FIVE starred reviews!
"Pie in the Sky is like enjoying a decadent cake . . . heartwarming and rib-tickling." --Terri Libenson, bestselling author of Invisible Emmie
When Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he's landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn't speak English, and he's often stuck looking after his (extremely irritating) little brother, Yanghao.
To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she's at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they'll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama.
In her hilarious, moving middle-grade debut, Remy Lai delivers a scrumptious combination of vibrant graphic art and pitch-perfect writing that will appeal to fans of Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham's Real Friends, Kelly Yang's Front Desk, and Jerry Craft's New Kid.
A Junior Library Guild selection!
"Seamlessly mixes together equal parts of humor, loss, identity, discovery, and love to create a delicious concoction of a story. . . illustrated beautifully with Lai's insightful drawings." --Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Night Diary
* "The humor [is] akin to that of Jeff Kinney's popular "Wimpy Kid" series . . . the perfect mixture of funny and emotionally resonant." --School Library Journal, starred review
* "Perfect for fans of Gene Luen Yang and Victoria Jamieson." --Shelf Awareness, starred review
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Gr 3-6-Having recently immigrated to Australia, 11-year-old Jingwen feels like he's been dropped onto a strange planet full of gibberish-spouting aliens. He knows life would be easier if he learned more English like his annoyingly chipper, too-loud, too-energetic little brother Yanghao. But guilt over his father's accidental death festers. Worried that assimilating into Australian culture means he's forsaking his father's memory, Jingwen latches on to the idea that if he can make all the cakes his father planned to feature on the menu of his dream bakery, Pie in the Sky, then everything will be okay. Even if that means disobeying his mother's rules while she's working the night shift at a local bakery. Written from Jingwen's perspective, the text is augmented with humorous, often exaggerated black and blue spot and sequential paneled illustrations that offer a visual window into Jingwen's experiences and emotions. Frequent flashbacks to Jingwen's younger years in his (unnamed) country of origin contribute to strong character and relationship development and to the satisfying conclusion. Whether Jingwen and Yanghao are teasing, supporting, or bickering with each other, their relationship rings true. The humor, akin to that of Jeff Kinney's popular "Wimpy Kid" series, occasionally veers into the delightfully gross, such as when Yanghao barfs from one too many slices of cake. VERDICT A first purchase for all libraries, this #OwnVoices hybrid chapter book/graphic novel is the perfect mixture of funny and emotionally resonant.--Amy Seto Forrester, Denver Public Library
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
A Parents Magazine Best Kids Book of the Year!
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year!
An NPR Best Book of the Year!
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year!
A BookRiot Best Book of the Year!
A Horn Book Best Book of the Year!
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year!
Five STARRED reviews!
A Junior Library Guild selection!
An Indie Next pick!
"Pie in the Sky is like enjoying a decadent cake. . . heartwarming and rib-tickling." —Terri Libenson, bestselling author of Invisible Emmie
* "Perfect for fans of Gene Luen Yang and Victoria Jamieson." —Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Remy Lai seamlessly mixes together equal parts of humor, loss, identity, discovery, and love to create a delicious concoction of a story. . . illustrated beautifully." —Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Night Diary
"Uproarious humor and a burgeoning friendship add to the ingredients in this stunning debut. . . a book to be savored - and the illustrations are the icing on the cake." —NPR
"If this is what Remy Lai's got going on straight out of the gate, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next." —Fuse #8
* "Lai imbues this [story] with an undeniable sweetness." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
JUV039250 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emigration & Immigration
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV050000 - Juvenile Fiction | Cooking & Food
Schools
Single-parent families
Australia
Language and languages
Baking
Cakes
Belonging (Social psychology)
