Pie in the Sky

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

This title has common core connections.

Author: Remy Lai
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Published: 05/14/2019
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.60w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9781250314093
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.5
Point Value: 7
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 503334 / Pie in the Sky


Award: Golden Kite - Honor Book
Award: Golden Kite - Winner


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/18/2019 pg. 83
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2019 pg. 125
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2019 - Book Of Special Distinction
School Library Journal 06/01/2019 pg. 72
Shelf Awareness 05/31/2019
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2019 pg. 131
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2019 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Remy Lai studied fine arts, with a major in painting and drawing. She was born in Indonesia, grew up in Singapore, and currently lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she writes and draws stories for kids with her two dogs by her side. Pie in the Sky is her debut middle-grade novel. Follow Remy on Twitter