El Deafo meets Inside Out and Back Again in this funny, emotional illustrated middle-grade debut novel about immigrating to Australia, being upstaged by an annoying little brother, baking cakes and overcoming loss. When Jingwen moves to Australia, he feels like he's landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible, since he doesn't speak English, and he's 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 the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother's rule: no using the oven while she's at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake more elaborate cakes, they'll have to cook up more elaborate excuses to keep their baking a secret--and continue the dream their father started.
A heartfelt treat. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Lai fuses familiar tropes - the irritating younger brother, classroom politics - with the less-explored terrain of immigration to inspire empathy and understanding. - Children's Books Ireland - Mind Yourself
Author
About Remy Lai
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.
