Pie [Hardcover]

Sarah Weeks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2011 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 930L (What's this?)

From the award-winning author of SO B. IT, a story about family, friendship, and...pie!

When Alice's Aunt Polly, the Pie Queen of Ipswitch, passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily fat, remarkably disagreeable cat, Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.

Suddenly, the whole town is wondering how you leave a recipe to a cat. Everyone wants to be the next big pie-contest winner, and it's making them pie-crazy. It's up to Alice and her friend Charlie to put the pieces together and discover the not-so-secret recipe for happiness: Friendship. Family. And the pleasure of donig something for the right reason.

With Pie, acclaimed author Sarah Weeks has baked up a sweet and satisfying delight, as inviting as warm pie on a cold day. You'll enjoy every last bite.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for So B. It:

* “This is lovely writing--real, touching, and pared cleanly down to the essentials.” – Booklist, starred review

* “Refreshing, offbeat characters…readers will be genuinely touched and surprised.” – VOYA, starred review

“A remarkable novel. [Heidi's] cross-country journey is brave and daring and yields surprising results.” - The New York Times Book Review

“The search for home and history is one that readers will find compelling.” – Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Sarah Weeks is the author of Oggie Cooder, So B. It, Jumping the Scratch, and the Guy series. She lives in New York, where she writes and bakes. Her favorite pie is blueberry.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; First Edition edition (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545270111
• ISBN-13: 978-0545270113
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah Weeks is the author of Oggie Cooder, So B. It, Jumping the Scratch, and the Guy series. She lives in New York City, where she practices charving at least once a fortnight.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A cute story December 21, 2011

By Sarah

Format:Hardcover

After listening to Sarah Weeks read from Pie and talk about her book, I couldn't wait to start reading it. The section she read made my mouth water, and it only got worse when I started reading the story. She has done a fantastic job describing Aunt Polly's pies; she even includes real pie recipes at the beginning of each chapter! Along with the strong details and imagery, Weeks also uses a wonderful variety of figurative language like similes and metaphors. She's written Alice as a very likeable and sweet young character that you can't help but admire. Alice loves her Aunt Polly and misses her dearly, which makes her want to uncover the secrets behind Polly's pie-crust recipe even more. Tweens will enjoy the mystery and the humor. I would have given this story 4 out of 5 stars, but the epilogue left me feeling deflated after reading a fun, light novel. I don't like the epilogue at all and really don't understand why Weeks felt it necessary to include it.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars In addition to being an entertaining story, each chapter begins with the recipe of a delicious pie November 11, 2011

By KidsReads

Format:Hardcover

Polly Portman owned a pie shop called --- what else? --- "Pie" in the very small town of Ipswitch, Pennsylvania. Alice spent many happy hours with her Aunt Polly at the shop, keeping her company, being an extra pair of hands, and learning a lot about the art and science of pie making in the process. What was most unusual about the shop was that Polly never charged for her pies. She just could not bring herself to accept money for doing what she loved to do --- bake delicious pies and give them away to anyone who wanted one. Fresh fruit, cartons of eggs, bags of flour, and other pie ingredients mysteriously appeared each morning on Polly's doorstep, and those gifts were turned into wonderful pies with crusts that were amazingly delicious.

A reporter for the local newspaper wrote an article about Polly and her pies. When the Associated Press printed the story, Polly and her pies became famous overnight, and folks came from all over the country for the delectable treats. All the local pie bakers wanted to know the recipe for Polly's pie crust, which had won her many, many awards, called Blueberries, but that recipe was the one and only thing that Polly refused to share.

When Polly quietly died in her sleep, the residents of Ipswitch were saddened to lose such a good friend. No one was sadder than Alice, who dearly loved her aunt. In her will, Polly actually left her secret pie crust recipe to her very huge and very unfriendly white cat, Lardo. And she left Lardo to Alice.

Confusion reigned, and it turned the little town upside down. Someone broke into the pie shop and vandalized it while searching for the recipe. The recipe simply had to be somewhere. How could a cat own a pie crust recipe? People even wondered if it was written on Lardo's huge belly. Alice's father was highly allergic to cats, and Alice's mother was threatening to take Lardo to the pound. Then Lardo disappeared, and Alice feared he had been catnapped. The little tourist industry that had grown up around Polly's famous pies was losing business since Polly was gone and the shop was shuttered. Now just about every woman in town was baking pies, hoping to finally have a chance to win the coveted Blueberry medal that Polly had easily won 13 years in a row.

This mystery moves along fairly quickly, and the book is filled with interesting characters like the bodybuilding spinster principal of Alice's school, the publicity-driven mayor, and Charlie, Alice's inquisitive friend who wants to help her solve the mystery. In addition to being an entertaining story, each chapter begins with the recipe of a delicious pie, from buttermilk to raspberry peanut butter and many others. Some lucky readers who are pie lovers may be able to convince a mother, grandmother, or kindly aunt to bake a pie using one of Polly's recipes. But be advised that the pie crust recipe is not included.

Reviewed by Carole Turner

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My 8 year old and I enjoyed this book together November 14, 2012

By kp from maine

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was a touching story with a mystery appropriate for children to get excited about. My 8 year old and I enjoyed reading it, comparing thoughts and reviewing the clues. The weekend we both finished the story we made a pie from one of the recipes. "Fishing" the lemon seeds out of the fresh juice we had squeezed was fun. This is a book we recommend to family and friends and a story that has touched our hearts and stomachs.