Duplicating the prose and graphic hybrid format of her award-winning debut, Pie in the Sky, Indonesia-born Remy Lai presents Fly on the Wall, another pitch-perfect middle-grade book about the longing to belong.
As the youngest Khoo, 12-year-old Henry is "FORBIDDEN from Doing Anything on His Own Because His Family Thinks He's a WAH-WAH-WAH Baby." Within his Perth, Australia, household of grandmother, mother, sister, he's the one who's not like the others: if he were to categorize his family as animals, he'd be broccoli; if they're vegetables, he's the book. The only time Henry is not "odd alone," is with his father, but this year, the usual school break at Dad's place in Singapore gets canceled--and Henry's the last to know.
To prove "Henry Khoo is not a baby anymore," Henry plots his solo breakout to Singapore (where Lai was raised). As much as he wants to see Dad, Henry's also fleeing a top-secret secret: he's the creator of the now-viral "Fly on the Wall" comics blog. Without any friends, he has plenty of time to diligently watch and cleverly expose embarrassing details about fellow students (his ex-BFF is really a wolf in sheep's clothing) and even adults (Principal Trang spreads viruses because he doesn't wash his hands). Now someone's threatening to expose Henry, which means "the greatest adventure everrr" needs also to be Henry's best escape!
Presented as a secret journal filled with prose, poems and--best of all--engaging two-color comics, Henry never loses his vulnerability, drawing empathy as he confronts his feelings of ostracized loneliness. Readers eager to share Henry's flight will ensure Lai's sophomore title is another soaring success. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon