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Pie in the Sky

by Remy Lai

A new country, a secret baking project, and two brothers

Regular price $15.24 USD
Regular price $25.40 USD Sale price $15.24 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    School Library Journal starred review

    Starred review praising the humor and describing the book as funny and emotionally resonant.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A new country, a secret baking project, and two brothers

Jingwen’s immigration experience is framed through the everyday challenges of settling into a new school, communicating in English, and caring for his younger brother. His father’s plan for a bakery gives the brothers’ secret cake-making a personal connection, while the rule against using the oven supplies the practical complication behind their elaborate excuses. Comic illustrations accompany a story that brings together family loss, loneliness, sibling friction, and the pleasures of baking. The bakery’s name, Pie in the Sky, links Jingwen’s daydreams to a future his father had imagined, grounding the comic mishaps in the family’s changed circumstances.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Middle-grade readers interested in immigration and adapting to a new country
  • Readers who enjoy graphic novels centered on siblings and family life
  • Young readers drawn to baking, comic mishaps, and illustrated storytelling

Themes

Immigration and belongingSibling relationshipsGrief and family changeBaking and imagination

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

* "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


A poignant, laugh-out-loud novel with comic illustrations about an eleven-year-old boy's immigration experience, his annoying little brother, and their many many hijinks. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier!


A Parents Magazine, NPR, an NY Public Library Best Kids Book of the Year!


"
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.

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