Ava is a shiny red apple who's always believed red apples are the best.

She's heard the old orchard sayings: Green apples are bossy. Yellow ones are dull. So why bother with them?

But when famous baker Vera chooses apples of every color for her famous pie-including Ava!-everything changes. In the cozy kitchen, as peels come off and giggles fill the air, Ava makes a surprising discovery: beneath the colorful skins, all apples are sweet, crisp, and full of the same wonderful spark.

With courage and kindness, Ava shows the whole orchard that the truest friendships aren't about what shows on the outside... but what shines from within.

Ava Khouri is a student and young author from Hanover, Massachusetts. She wrote The Apple of My Pie after first creating the story in middle school, then returning to it years later with a new perspective and a bigger message. Ava is passionate about kindness, courage, and community, values she brings into everything she does. She has been involved with Project 351, a statewide youth service organization, for over five years and serves as a Senior Legacy Fellow with the Playbook Initiative, a partnership with Project 351 and the Boston Celtics that empowers young people to address bias, discrimination, and inequity through education and leadership. Ava helps train students across Massachusetts to lead workshops focused on inclusion and belonging. When she is not writing, she enjoys cheering, dancing, playing tennis, debating, working, and planning her next service project or class event.