I loved this book. The multi-cultural representation and the genuine friendship displayed was so heart warming

A PLACE AT THE TABLE by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan is a timely and delightful book! (It will also make you hungry.) I already have several of Saadia Faruqi's Yasmin books in my school library for my younger readers. And I am very happy to now add her middle grade titles too along with Shovan's.

Wow, what a beautiful story written in two perspectives about girls who are different yet can relate to each other in many ways and be there for each other. This novel made me want to eat all the foods and I love how the antagonist character grew over time. You don’t always get to see that in books.

Food! The aromas from the glorious recipes waft from the page! Take two girls, one Pakistani American, and the other British American, add two moms who keep putting off the citizenship process, shake in religion and then bake in the cooking class at their middle school. Their will be prejudice and discrimination, but there will also be growth, friendship, and the development of respectful understanding. May get a bit slow, but it has a great finale.

I was given a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sara and Elizabeth meet at an after school cooking class that Sara's mother teaches. Sara doesn't like cooking, while Elizabeth enjoys it. However, the girls discover that they have more in common than they thought. Both of their mothers are studying to take the immigration exam in order to become American citizens. Also, the girls partner up to create a cross cultural dish for the cultural festival. Told in alternating voices, written by two different authors. Lovely.
#netgalley #APlaceattheTable #SaadiaFaruqi #LauraShovan #SPOTTX21

Anyone looking for a book with multiple perspectives and multicultural awareness and understanding will find this book helpful. Two young girls from different cultures find themselves together and learn about each other’s lives from their encounters. Told from the perspectives of both girls—one whose family is Muslim and deals with daily slights and discrimination and one whose mother is British and whose family has “issues” about getting along—this book openly deals with the process of building understanding and friendship.

This was such a fantastic book. I love the way it shows how good connects people. This would make the perfect housewarming gift!

Wonderful middle grade novel. Sara is not happy about leaving her private Islamic school and going to the local public school, and she is having a hard time finding her place. Forced to hang out at her mom's after school cooking club classes, she is reigned into helping her mom's class become a success, especially after a mean girl starts being racist towards her Pakistani mother. Their family catering business is in the red, and their family needs this class to stay afloat.

Elizabeth is struggling to understand why her best friend is pulling away from her, turning to a new "BFF" and also being openly hostile and racist towards Sara and her mother. Plus Elizabeth's dad is always away at work, and her British born mother seems to be wallowing in grief after the death of her mother, and not studying for her citizenship exam.

Elizabeth and Sara wind up as unlikely partners, but soon find they have more in common than anyone would have thought, and they team up to help their moms, challenge their peers and make delicious food together.

Really wonderful read that made me very HUNGRY!

I really enjoyed this book! Dual perspective: a Pakistani-American girl, who mother owns a catering company, and another girl whose mother is a British immigrant and struggles with depression. The girls meet through the cooking classes Sara’s mom teaches. Elizabeth wants to learn to cook, to counteract her mom’s lack of skills in the kitchen and lessen the weight of her father’s long work travel absences. Sara and Elizabeth conspire to get their mothers together, correctly guessing that they’ll become friends and help each other study for their citizenship tests. But the girls’ friendship faces problems, specifically Elizabeth’s ex-BFF spouting racist BS. Elizabeth has to learn that just knowing and acknowledging racism isn’t enough; actively fighting against prejudice is what matters.

Ever since I read Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando, I've wanted to try writing a dual-perspective/two-author/alternating-chapter novel like that. A Place at the Table by Laura Shovan and Saadia Faruqi is set up the same way, switching chapters between Elizabeth and Sara.

Both girls are dealing with heavy responsibilities for sixth graders: Sara's parents are deeply in debt, and Elizabeth's mom is sinking under the weight of her grief while Elizabeth's dad is constantly traveling for work, leaving their kids to fend for themselves. Elizabeth signs up for Sara's mom's after school cooking class so she can learn how to make dinners for her family.

I thought the characters of Stephanie and Maddy were well done. Sara sees Stephanie as a sort of mean girl, but it's more like she's annoyingly perfect, which is a different thing. She's actually pretty nice. Maddy actually is a mean girl, but she's parroting stuff she learned from her parents and eventually learns to stand up to them and stop being a racist jerk. Her arc felt a little too easy at first, but it was deepened and expanded towards the end in a way that felt much more realistic. (I would totally read a sequel or side story about Stephanie and Maddy.)

Of course, I'm always here for ex-best friend stories, and one of the things Elizabeth is dealing with is her changing relationship with Maddy, who is acting weird and mean now that they've started middle school, and saying that she has two best friends now: a new best friend and and old best friend. Elizabeth, the old best friend, doesn't feel so great about that.

Their relationship is mirrored in Sara and Rabia's friendship. Sara used to go to a small religious private school, but transferred to public school when money got tight. Rabia still goes to the private school, but the girls keep in touch and remain good friends. I liked how going to different schools was not necessarily a death sentence for their friendship; it was a good contrast with Maddy and Elizabeth's relationship.

Lots of doubling up, which I guess makes sense with the format of the novel.

The one thing I really didn't like was the "patriotic" theme throughout the novel. One of the doubled stories is that both girls' moms are supposed to be studying for their citizenship tests. Sara and Elizabeth set their moms up on a friend date to study together, and they have a citizenship ceremony at the end of the day. I think that could have been done with out the flag waving. A Place at the Table came out in 2020; did neither girl feel ambivalent about living in the USA? I guess I wanted some nuance. Maybe Sara wants her mom to get her citizenship so she never has to worry about her mother being deported back to Pakistan. Does Elizabeth wish that her family lived in the U.K. instead?

Also, what is with MG book Jewish grandmas? This isn't the first book I've read this year where a sympathetic positive grandmother calls her convert daughter-in-law a shiksa. (The other one was My Basmati Bat Mitzvah.) In this one, Sara tells her dad to tell her Bubbe to stop because it hurts her mom's feelings, but still. It's such a nasty word. I can't imagine it would be allowed in MG if people took Yiddish seriously as a language. I don't know, we don't just drop a "bitch" in a book for 12-year-olds.

It takes place near here, and I enjoyed the shout out to real life indie local bookstore, Curious Iguana.

This book is about two girls starting middle school. It touches on immigration and the difficulties that immigrants face. It doesn’t forget the difficulties of being in middle school. I think this book does a good job of connecting two girls through their similarities ones mom is from England and she is Jewish and the other is from Pakistan. The book was a quick read, I enjoyed it.

First thank you to Net Galley and Clarion Books for the sheer pleasure of reading this book.

A Place at the Table... YES!! Everyone needs to sit down and take their place at this table! Is this an issue book? Yes. Bullies and friendships? Yes. Immigrants? Yes. Differing cultures and religions? Yes. Is this a book about real life? YES!

Sara and Elizabeth... 2 6th graders trying to figure out how life in middle school works. Both are children of different religions, both had parents who immigrated as young adults. Both have issues within their families. And both are trying to survive life and middle school. These two young ladies face discrimination, racism, family issues, money issues, and friendship issues.
"Don't tell my mom that this is my favorite dish." "You people go back to where you came from." "Don't worry about adult things." And most importantly, friendship rules... yes, rules to having a friendship. I can ask questions about your religion without you becoming upset. If someone is mean to me, you have to stand up for me.

The novel moves back and forth between characters, each sharing their perspective of the story and what is going on in their own lives. As we read and learn, almost every child will be able to see themselves in this book. Whether it's culture, religion, or just life when you're 11. They will relate to the story and to the characters. Sara and Elizabeth, and their families are real. The other students, the teachers... we all know these people.

So many good discussions in class and in homes can be had after reading this wonderful piece of work. A definite must read, for young people and the grown ups in their lives.

I loved this exploration of friendship, family, food, faith and culture. The characters are great (Sara is prickly at first, so it took a little bit to warm up to her.). In addition to a terrific story, this is also a great introduction to the ideas of racism and anti-racism (although I don't think the term "anti-racism" is used in the book). Is it enough to recognize that your friend said something racist and to know you don't agree? Or is real friendship - for your friend who was insulted, AND for your friend who made the racist statement - speaking up? This would be a fantastic read aloud in school or at home. Don't miss this one!

They say opposites attract, and sixth-graders Sara and Elizabeth could not be any more opposite of each other. Pakistani-American and Muslim, Sara is quiet and a bit surly, suddenly starting public school without a single friend, and would rather be making art than sitting in her mom's cooking club. Half-English and Jewish, Elizabeth's father is rarely home and her mother has been in a depression ever since Nan died; Mom was never much of a cook to begin with, but it has gotten worse since she got back from England. Hopefully, the school cooking club will help Elizabeth learn how to make real meals for her family.

When the two girls get paired up in the cooking class, it is the spark that ignites that takes the girls from cooking partners, to cooking competitors, and, finally, friends. They bond over what it means to have an immigrant parents, having a faith that is sometimes misunderstood or leads to ignorant and hateful comments, and the general woes of middle school. Together, they work to make a place at the table.

This sweet collaborative novel from Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan is a beautiful and delightful tale of food and friendship, as well as personal growth and working through problems as a family. A wonderful book about growing up and finding your place in the world, "A Place at the Table" definitely has a place on the shelf!

This was a really enjoyable story! It is about two 6th graders, Sara and Elizabeth, and is told from both girls’ POV. I really liked the dual perspectives and getting a glimpse into both girls’ lives. I enjoyed learning about the cultures and foods from both families. Sara’s family is from Pakistan and Elizabeth’s dad is Hebrew, while her mom is from England and studying to take her citizenship test for America. Sara’s mom is also studying for her citizenship test. This book addresses racism, friendship, loss, family, prejudice, and food.

This book is being added to my favorites of 2020. When you combine open, honest talk about race relations and delicious food, you really can't get any better!

These times call for stories about kids who feel marginalized and address a wide range of social issues. However, some books go on overload and this is one of them. Crisp writing and sharp character development are sacrificed in an effort to squeeze in as much education as possible. The message is laudable but the plot is predictable. Two 6thgraders—one Jewish and one Pakistani—meet at a South Asian cooking group. Initially their problems with friends draw them together but financial worries in their families, racist comments and ambivalence toward US citizenship on the part of both their moms create strong bonds. The Muslim girl’s character is more believable. The depiction of the Jewish girl’s British mother does not seem authentic and some of the more orthodox religious practices seem odd in this rather secular family. The behavior of two school administrators also seemed unrealistic.

Told in alternating perspectives, this story is about friendship and belonging. Sara had to leave her Islamic private school and attend a large public middle school and is struggling to find anything she likes about the experience besides art class. She is constantly subjected to prejudice, from microaggressions like the continued mispronunciation of her name, to overt racism from the more conservative and xenophobic members of her community because her family is from Pakistan. When her mother agrees to teach a South Asian cooking class after school and Sara is forced to attend, she meets Elizabeth and they find that they have a lot more in common than they originally thought. Elizabeth's British-born mom is struggling with depression and grief and has stopped cooking for their family. So Elizabeth and Sara begin to form a friendship and decide to work together to create a mouth-watering recipe for a school project, but will their friendship last through bullies, complicated friend dynamics, citizenship issues, and general middle school drama?

I thought this was well-written and engaging and I particularly enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the food in the story (aromas, flavors, tastes -- it felt like I was there), though Sara starts out as quite an unlikeable character, and it took nearly a third of the book before I really liked her and understood her choices. Overall, great addition to any middle grade collection.

Sara and Elizabeth becomes friends while cooking together at an after-school cooking club. Along the way, they navigate family challenges, like financial concerns and depression, and friendship challenges, like learning how to share and respect one another's cultures and standing up for each other against racist comments. While it can feel a touch didactic, there's a lot of important topics discussed here, and this book would be a particularly good choice for book clubs.

Food brings people together. One of the easiest ways to learn about someone's culture is by tasting recipes that have been passed down through their family. Sara, one of our main characters has taken her mother's cooking for granted. She is tired of waking up to the smell of spices and spending her days helping with her mother's catering business. Elizabeth on the other hand is sick of the microwavable food she is subjected to since her mother has been taken away by depression. I say taken away because the authors do a tremendous job of showing how far Elizabeth feels from her mother even though she is just on the couch. Our characters start an unlikely friendship since Elizabeth is outgoing, usually going along for the ride while Sara greets everyone with a frown and an assault of defensive questions. Thankfully, Sara's mother's cooking class forces them to cross paths. Both mother's are studying for their citizenship test. While they are both originally from different countries (Pakistan and United Kingdom) as readers we see how similar they are.

Each chapter switches between Sara and Elizabeth so the reader is always aware of what is happening. Their new friendship encounters include; standing up to racism, fighting for and against old friendships, bringing their mothers together, understanding their families better, and creating a new recipe to win a food competition.

Children ages 10 and up will want to start cooking in their kitchens after reading A Place at the Table.