Pie in the Sky

The book I received was like new. It certainly exceeded my expectations! The next time I am looking for another book, I will look here first.

This is a well done Fish Out of Water story, except in this case, it is Martian in Australia.Jingwen cannot learn English as fast as his brother can, and he is feeling isolated. He knows this is happening, but he is also sad that his father didn’t live to see them emigrate to Australia. The only way he knows how to mourn is to recreate the cakes that his father and he made, that they had planned to make at his shop, that he would one day have.Jingwen thinks if he can make all the cakes, for the shop that was going to be called Pie in the Sky, that he would feel better about his dad dying.The voice of Jingwen is quite lovely, and funny at the same time.This is how he describes his sadness:All the while I was telling Yanghao about Papa, my nose didn’t burn. Somehow, the sweetness of the cakes takes away the bitter sadness. Somehow, sometimes during the cake making, some of the seashells in my pockets disappear.A well crafted book that anyone who has started a new school, or had to move, can relate to, even if you know the local language.

Ahhhh! This was one of my most anticipated MG reads for 2019 and it did not disappoint. From the first page, I was sucked into Jingwen's journey. I felt a certain kinship with him, because as a child, I too moved to different countries, and more often than not, I shared his feelings of loneliness and of not belonging. I adored the illustrations, which blended in seamlessly with the story, especially the Martian scenes—because when you don't speak the language or have much in common with the culture where you live, it's so easy to feel like you're on another planet. If you're a fan of heartwarming MG books with humor a bit of sadness, and a whole lot of hijinks, than I would highly recommend you pick up a copy of PIE IN THE SKY, by Remy Lai. I can't wait to see what she writes next!

Excellent story dealing with the death of a loved one. Remy Lai has successfully shown how difficult grief is and how different it is for different people. Pie in the Sky grabbed by attention at the beginning and kept me there until the last page.

My second grader and I both loved this book, enough so that I bought a copy to donate to the local elementary school library as well. Jingwen's story is poignant and funny, told in an engaging mix of text and graphic-novel-style illustrations. The delightful mix of cooking, brotherhood and new immigrant experience are a recipe for success with both kids and the adults lucky enough to read with them. A fabulous book.

This was a sweet and heart-warming book about grief and trying to fit in when you've moved to a new country where people don't speak your language. As someone whose first language was Spanish and who had her own moments of feeling lost in school because I didn't speak the language, this story really spoke to me. And the cakes! I absolutely loved this!

I love this book and it is just so nice and makes me tingle inside.

This book is great! It has salty emotions and sweet emotions and its so bittersweet in an amazing way. I reccomend this book to ages 10 and up.