Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to #BookJunkies and Henry Holt and Company for the advance reader copy of Pie in the Sky by debut author, Remy Lai, in exchange for an honest review. What a delicious middle-grade book from debut author, Remy Lai. Using a funny yet poignant plot, glorious illustrations, and two main characters (brothers- Jingwen and Yanghao) you will never forget, Remy weaves a moving yet humorous (thanks to little brother, Yanghao) story of immigrating to a new country, the uncertainties of being the new student faced with a language barrier, and trying valiantly to make pies in order to “fix” things and make everything better. Bickering brothers constantly calling each other “boogers” are alone after school and into the night as their mom works in a bakery. Older brother, Jingwen, has a harder time grasping the English language, but he also fights committing himself to learning English, and once he hears classmates calling him “slow,” Jingwen isolates himself even more with his nose in a book inside school. But Jingwen and Yanghao have plans to make all the cakes their father was going to make in his bakery, Pie in the Sky, even though their mother has refused to let them use the oven and made them promise. Younger brother, Yanghao, is funny, but he is also positive, loves life, and has a better, quicker command of English than Jingwen, and he has made friends in school. As the two brothers bake the special cakes, Jingwen reveals their father died before they immigrated (it was on Sundays with his father that they baked the cakes); they have relatives and friends from back home, and the constant lies and omissions to their mother is wearing on Jingwen. As he sinks into despair (Jigwen blames himself for his father’s death), he also refuses to see/listen to his little brother about situations the language barrier is creating, further causing Jingwen to make rules they must adhere to each time they bake another special cake. I ached for Jingwen and rooted for his happiness becoming a good missing his father whenever he is happy. I loved the ending as the dread Jingwen feels, lifts, and becomes a happy, positive motivation where brothers, mother, and friends share “cake time.” A must read; highly recommended!

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