Pie in the Sky

Written & illustrated by Remy Lai

An immigrant boy secretly bakes cakes to cope with loss and language barriers.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 2,684 ratings

384 pages· 50,541 words· Est. 9.5 hour read

$14.99Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

Jingwen feels like an alien in a new country, struggling with language and loneliness. His only solace is baking cakes from his late father's dream bakery menu. But with a strict no-oven rule from his mother, Jingwen and his pesky brother Yanghao must concoct clever excuses to keep their cake-baking adventures hidden. Will their secret bring them closer or crumble under pressure? Discover a heartwarming tale of family, dreams, and resilience.

From the publisher

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! Sometimes life isn’t a piece of cake . . . 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, emotional middle-grade debut, Remy Lai delivers a scrumptious combination of vibrant graphic art and pitch-perfect writing that will appeal to fans of Real Friends.

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