by Remy Lai
“Su-Supposed to?” I ask.
Mama looks at me. “Miss Scrappell told the principal you’ve been improving slowly but surely. The principal, after seeing your excellent math project, agreed to let you stay in fifth grade one more term. If you continue to improve, you won’t be sent down a grade.”
“Good job, boys,” Miss Scrappell says to Ben and me before disappearing into the crowd of students and parents.
I hesitate for a second, then I run after her, pushing my way through. “Miss Scrappell.”
“May I help you, Jingwen?”
“See you tomorrow, Jingwen,” Miss Scrappell says, her eyes twinkling. When she turns to leave, her skirt twirls like an umbrella again, and I think about how umbrellas shelter me from the rain.
I take the long way back to my display so that I can have a look at my classmates’ projects. I stop by a display about the division of fractions. The students sitting next to this stand turn out to be Joe and Max. They have their noses buried in comic books and haven’t seen me yet. But then Max looks up. He elbows Joe.
I’m about to run away, but Joe is so startled by the sight of me that he falls off his chair. He hops to his feet and lunges to leave, but the crowd hems him in. For several seconds, all he can do is shuffle on the spot, looking like he needs the bathroom. I blink, not understanding what I’m seeing, and the next time I open my eyes, he has disappeared into the sea of people.
I look at Max, waiting for him to escape from me, but he stays put, and says, “Jingwen, I’m sorry Joe and I said what we said. We’re giant boogers.”
Max seems truly sorry, but what’s going on with Joe? Maybe Joe is like English, very confusing at first, but slowly, over time, I’ll come to understand him. Unless he’s like the word “fudge.” I’ll probably never understand how it could be a swear word. But I don’t know yet how to say all that to Max, so I rack my brain for the words I have now.
Max laughs. So do I.
When I return to my display, Yanghao is poking Ben in the arm like a woodpecker and saying, “Letmeeatthecakes. Letmeeatthecakes.”
Ben turns to me. “Your brother is very annoying,” he says.
* * *
Once Math Fair is over, we pack all the cakes up and take the bus to Barker Bakes. Me, Yanghao, Mama, Anna, Ben, and Heather.
At the café, Heather brings out tea or coffee for the adults and caramel chocolate milk shakes for the lucky little people. “On the house,” she says. Which is strange since she’s placing all the cups and mugs on the tables.
I distribute the already-portioned cakes from Math Fair to everyone. Anna gets only the small sliver that stands for 5 percent. Mama has brought the salted caramel sauce Yanghao loves, and he drizzles it over the cakes.
As everyone is laughing and talking, I think about Papa and wish he were here. I guess this is what it will be like from now on, me missing him whenever I’m happy. Salty and sweet.
I take pictures with our camera so I can print them for Ah-po and Ah-gong. I’ll mail them the same time I mail the postcard I bought yesterday for Xirong. It has kangaroos and koalas. If he doesn’t reply, that’s okay.
In their last letter, along with the rainbow cake recipe, Ah-po and Ah-gong also asked to be sent pictures of my twelfth birthday celebration. I’ve dreaded birthdays since that tenth year, but maybe my twelfth, in a few weeks’ time, won’t be so bad. We can have a small party like this one we’re having, maybe even Ben and Sarah can come. We’ll have a proper rainbow cake with all the layers atop one another, all the colors together in one cake.
When I mail the pictures to Ah-po and Ah-gong, I’ll tell them I’m doing fine, and it won’t be a lie. Today Australia feels a little bit less like Mars. It’s not exactly like my old home, and I think they will always be the same but different. But they can both be good.
I’m ready to eat my cake, but first, I turn to my little brother.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, thank you, thank you to:
My agent, Jim McCarthy The Beard. For your guidance on how to make my book shine, for squealing with me over every piece of good news, for your boundless patience, for knowing just what to say when I freak out, and for everything and everything. I love you, Jim!
My editor, Brian Geffen. For getting this book and my jokes, for reading this book over and over, for guiding me to make it the best it can be, for all your kind words, and for being so awesome in every way. You’re the best, Brian!
The rest of the Henry Holt/Macmillan team: Christian Trimmer, Jean Feiwel, Carol Ly (you made my book oh-so- gorgeous!), Patrick Collins, Melinda Ackell, Molly Ellis, Kelsey Marrujo, Lucy Del Priore, Allegra Green, Melissa Zar, Mariel Dawson, and Kristin Dulaney. MJ Robinson for the fantastic colors, and Ana Deboo.
I’m very, very lucky. My book couldn’t be in better hands.
Amanda Rawson Hill and Cindy Baldwin, for seeing the heart of my story when it was still in shambles, for believing in it (and me) when I couldn’t.
Bronwyn Clark, Reese E., and Jennifer Bee, for your critiques, for reading crappy drafts, for trusting me with your own stories, and for all the cheerleading.
Jin Gan, Liping, Christina, Onglye, and Yuan Yee, for never once saying that I shouldn’t or couldn’t.
The PitchWars team: Brenda Drake and Heather Cashman, my fellow ’17 mentees for giving me a writing family that understands my neuroses. Extra love to Kit Rosewater, Karen Chow, and PITA Rajani Larocca.
My four siblings, for giving me a lifetime of tears of anger, frustration, plain incredulity, and, most of all, of joy and laughter.
My dogs: Poop-roller and Bossy Boots!
And to my papa, who told me I could be anything I wanted to be.
Rainbow Cake Recipe
1.
2.
3. Gently fold the mixture in BOWL B into BOWL A until mixed.
4. Divide the mixture into seven equal portions and mix one to two drops of food coloring into each portion. Colors: yellow, red, blue, green, purple, orange, and pink. Pour each batter into separate cake pans.
5. Bake at 35°F for 18 minutes.
6. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans (run a knife around the sides if needed) and leave until completely cool.
7. Prepare the filling and frosting.
8. Stack the seven layers of cake together.
9. Frost all around with the remaining whipped cream!
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. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Acknowledgments
Rainbow Cake Recipe
About the Author
Copyright
Henry Holt and Company, Publishers since 1866
Henry Holt® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 • mackids.com
Copyright © 2019 by Remy Lai
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Lai, Remy, author.
Title: Pie in the Sky / Remy Lai.
Description: First edition. | New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2019. | Summary: Knowing very little English, eleven-year-old Jingwen feels like an alien when his family immigrates to Australia, but copes with loneliness and the loss of his father by baking elaborate cakes.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018050006 | ISBN 9781250208675 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250314109 (trade pbk.)
Subjects: | CYAC: Immigrants—Fiction. | Language and languages—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction. | Belonging (Social psychology)—Fiction. | Cakes—Fiction. | Baking—Fiction. | Single-parent families—Fiction. | Australia—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.L228 Pie 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018050006
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First edition, 2019
Colors by MJ Robinson
ISBN 978-1-250-31409-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-31410-9 (paperback)
eISBN 9781250208675
