In A Place at the Table, Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan, have introduced two very realistic young characters to children’s literature. Sara and Elizabeth are sixth graders at Poplar Springs Middle School in Maryland and both of them are feeling overwhelmed by issues that are outside of their control. For Sara, coming to a primarily white middle school after attending a Muslim elementary school, is stressful enough, but then she finds out that the reason she had to leave her school was because her family is struggling financially. Elizabeth’s grandmother in England has recently passed away and her mom seems to be struggling with some depression.

When Sara and Elizabeth meet in an after-school cooking class run by Sara’s mom, they aren’t interested in making new friends. However, once they realize all that they have in common, they become fast friends. While working together to create great fusion feasts, they also learn to stand up for each other and against racist ideas.

A Place at the Table is written in Sara and Elizabeth’s voices and while they have similar beliefs, they often approach things differently. These alternating perspectives are helpful for young readers as they learn that there are many different ways to be an activist. Sometimes the most powerful statements come from those people who rarely raise their voices.

Middle schoolers deal with serious issues such as racism, immigration, mental illness, and economic struggle. Faruqi and Shovan do an excellent job of speaking about these issues from the perspective of young people. While they might not always understand the reasoning behind these issues or how to solve them, young people certainly recognize them and are able to tell when something just isn’t right. Sara and Elizabeth are wonderful examples of this demographic group and young readers will enjoy getting to know them.

I loved this story told in two voices about two girls trying to survive the perils of middle school. Each has their own immigration experience and their own religious difference experience as well as their family expectations for them. There are lovely passages about Pakastani food and cooking as well as Jewish food and cooking. I think kids are going to like these a lot. This would also be an excellent tool for teaching about micro aggressions.

In this story we meet Sara and Elisabeth. Two very different girls. Sara is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, who just moved to a large public middle school after years of her small private school. Elizabeth is the daughter of a British immigrant mom and a Jewish dad. Elizabeth joins a cooking club with her best friend, South East Asian cooking taught by Sara's mom. Elizabeth claims her mom cannot cook anything that doesn't come out of a box, so she is looking for a way to get delicious food to eat. After a turn of events Elizabeth finds herself with a new partner, Sara, and a cooking contest to prepare for. Both Sara and Elizabeth's families have their own problems to deal with, immigration tests, money, family issues, and racism. I like how this book tackles the issue of racism and what it means to be a good friend.

A Place at the Table tells the story of two girls who become friends after meeting in an after-school cooking class and discovering both their mothers are immigrants studying for their citizenship tests. Told alternately in the voices of Sarah, a Pakastani-American and Elizabeth, a Jewish-American whose mother immigrated from England, the book was co-written by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan. Cooking is a central theme of the book, and, while it is an over-used topic in middle-grade books of late, it works here as the girls experiment with recipes using the flavors of different cultures.

I think I would have preferred the book to have been written from one point of view or the other of the girls. The book seemed to stall a bit at the beginning as both of the characters were developed. Overall, it is a good book for kids exploring the challenges of living in a multicultural world.

This fabulously fresh and honest book told in alternating OWN voices shows how two seemingly different 6th grade girls discover how much they have in common as they learn about themselves and their families along the way.  Sarah is a Muslim Pakistani-American, and Elizabeth is Jewish and has an English immigrant mom, the two come together over food, family stress, discrimination, and middle school social drama to form a solid friendship.  But fear not, it isn't easy and the book will keep upper elementary/ early middle school girls hooked.  Not sure if boys will be as drawn to it, but if they can get over the brief mention of having a period, they too will enjoy the story.  The 336 page book shows how much we have in common, and how hard fitting in can be for everyone.

SYNOPSIS:

Sarah is starting a new school, a public one, having been at a small Islamic school prior to 6th grade.  She is not happy about it and to top it off, her mother is teaching an after-school cooking class at the school that she is required to attend.  Hoping to sit in the back drawing and go unnoticed, she finds she can't sit quiet when her classmates start giving her mom a hard time.  Unaware of why she had to leave her previous school, and tired of her mom needing her help with her catering business, Sara also has to help her mom study for her citizenship test, handle two little brothers, deal with no friends at school and not being able to celebrate Halloween.  

Elizabeth loves cooking. Her mother does not.   She is excited to learn Pakistani food at the cooking club even if her best friend thinks they shouldn't be learning things from "them." Elizabeth is admittedly nerdy, and struggling with a life-long friend finding others to spend time with, her life at home is difficult too.  Her dad is always traveling for work, and her mom is depressed with the recent passing of her mother in England, to the point of not really functioning.  With Elizabeth doing the cooking at home, and trying to get her mom to study for her citizenship test, Jewish holidays and obligations get neglected, and Elizabeth not knowing how to help her new Muslim friend handle racism,  is spiraling herself.

When the two girls decide to give each other a chance they find they might be able to be more than just cooking partners, but it seems like one of them always does something to mess it up.  Either saying something hurtful, getting defensive, or not sticking up for each other.   The girls get their mom's together to study for their test, but it isn't so easy for the girls, who are hesitant to trust one another. 

An upcoming cooking competition, offers the girls a chance to make a cross cultural fusion dish that can wow the judges, help Sarah's family's financial situation, prove to the school that diversity is a good thing, and hopefully give the two girls a solid friendship.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love how authentic it sounds and feels and how it doesn't focus on boys or crushes, but on friendship between two girls at an awkward point in their lives and the family stresses they are experiencing.  The book is for all readers and does a great job of not going overboard with what the girls face.  I love how tolerant they have to learn to be with one another and that they have to learn to drop their defensive guards.  

I read the book in two settings and didn't want to put it down, it has enough pull that you really want to see where the book is going and are happy to overlook the slight repetitiveness of them stressing about the competition, but doing nothing but talking about the stress. Really the competition doesn't even seem that important at the end, but considering everything going on, that to me is exactly as it should be.

I love the rich culture of Pakistan, England, Islam, and Judaism that seep in and never get preachy or dogmatic, but get celebrated and experienced.  This is why OWN voice books are so beautiful and powerful.  Admittedly, Elizabeth's family is not super religious, but a few more similarities would have been nice.  Yes her brothers are eating pepperoni Hot Pockets, but a shout out about halal/kosher marshmallows would have really rung true for so many of us that stock up at Passover.

I also love how the side characters have substance and aren't just used as a foil to show something about the main characters.  They get a little flesh on their own, and that enhances the richness of the story.  Seeing that they have their own struggles to overcome as well shows how none of us have it all together, and that we are all capable of improving ourselves.

FLAGS:

The girls meet during school hours when Elizabeth lies about her period starting to get out of class.  Sarah mentions that hers has already started.  Elizabeth mentions that her Jewish grandmother is visiting her son and his husband, nothing more is said, just that.  There are some derogatory things said about Sarah and being Muslim and Pakistani, but really mild.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

 I want to find a way to do this book for a middle school book club.  I've already told my 13 year- old daughter it is required summer reading.  The Muslims have diversity within themselves, some wear hijab, Sarah does not.   The book is so relatable and the personas sound the age for their views and struggles and perspective.  The financial stress, the mental illness, the immigrant experience, the racism, the politics, are all wonderfully woven together, and the food, well, there is a reason I didn't recommend this book at the beginning of Ramadan, you are welcome.  Happy Reading.

I think this is the first middle-grade book I've read that addresses someone taking a citizenship test. There are some far-fetched incidents (e.g., a teacher screaming at kids and a parent, odd parenting styles, a school cooking class that uses meat, etc.), and it wasn't quite as compelling as I thought it would be, but it has some depth to it and is still a relevant story about finding similarities among different religious and cultural experiences. I also liked that one of the racist characters eventually redeems herself a bit at the end.

An absolutely lovely story of two middle schoolers who find they have more in common than they do differences, a love of delicious food, and the ability to stand up to bullying and outright racism. This was well done, hit a lot of my favorite things such as cooking, knitting, and Doctor Who. The only thing I hoped for, was some recipes at the end!

2.5 Stars
I received an electronic ARC from Clarion Books through NetGalley.
Told from alternating perspectives of the two main characters - Sara and Elizabeth. Sara is part of a Pakistani family who has moved to the United States. Elizabeth is from a Jewish family who also have come to the US. They meet and connect and find their way to friendship. Both have issues their family are coping with. The after school cooking class allows these characters to interact and then reconnect beyond that.
The story moves slowly and has a predictable ending. Characters are fairly standard for middle grade novels. However, I do think younger readers will connect with the feelings and scenarios presented by Faruqi.

This book is about a friendship between 2 girls who are more alike than they are different. Elizabeth comes from a Jewish family . Sara comes from a Pakistani-American family. Sara is new to her school, and she becomes friends with Elizabeth in an after school cooking club. They form a friendship over cooking and food. I really liked this book because it shows how we are all more alike than we are different. We share the same needs for compassion, friendship, and love. ARC provided by publisher.

Saadia Farugi and Laura Shovan write in alternating voices of two sixth graders--Sara and Elizabeth. They come from different cultures and religious backgrounds, they have complicated home lives, and their mums are preparing to take the U.S. Citizenship test. They are brought together through a cooking class and slowly a friendship forms where the girls discover they have a lot more in common then they originally thought.

With themes like race, prejudice, religion, friendship and identity, A Place At The Table, is the perfect choice for a book club read or read aloud.

Perfect for fans of Save Me A Seat by Gita Varadarajan and Sarah Weeks!
Thank you NetGalley and Clarion Books for the ARC ebook.

I loved this story of two sixth graders, Elizabeth and Sara, and how they maneuver life in school and at their very different homes. Elizabeth is white, Jewish, and her British mother has depression. Sara is Pakistani American and her mother teaches the South Asian cooking class where the girls meet up.

Sara hates cooking, but she takes the class because her mother is the teacher. Elizabeth loves to cook, and needs to learn new recipes to feed the family now that her mother has stopped cooking. Later in the story, the girls decide to get together and create a cross-cultural dish for the food competition in town. They're on their way to victory, but trust is an issue outside of the cooking class. Meanwhile, both mothers are working to become US citizens, which is a difficult task, too.

I recommend this book for anyone in grades 4 and up. It's a wonderful book club selection for students studying #ownvoices authors, and the alternating perspective chapters make this an enjoyable read for all.

I couldn't put this book down! This was a fascinating look into the the blending of different cultures and religions within America. Sara's parents immigrated to America from Pakistan, and Elizabeth's mother is an immigrant from England. They meet in a cooking class taught by Sara's mother, and both start to form opinions about the other based on that first meeting. As the story progresses both girls realize that first impressions might not be the most accurate and a budding friendship forms. This was a very realistic portrayal of new middle school friendships, with many ups and downs. What really stood out is the way the authors blended the two stories so seamlessly. At first you wonder what do these girls have in common? One is a Muslim daughter of Pakistani immigrants, the other's mom is immigrant from England, and her father is Jewish. But the more they reluctantly get to know each other, and start to form a friendship, the more they realize their lives are much more alike than it appears. The test of their friendship comes when one of Elizabeth's friends, Maddy, starts to repeat the anti-immigrant sentiments of her parents. Maddy and Elizabeth have been friends forever, but now her friendship with Sara is in jeopardy. How can she keep both friendships? She doesn't like this new Maddy, but they have a shared history, but she also doesn't want to lose her friendship with Sara. The authors did an amazing job reconciling this question, and giving insight into the lived experience of children of immigrants.

I enjoyed this book. The writing was really good, I liked having two different main characters (Sara and Elizabeth), and having the chapters rotate from their points of view. I enjoyed learning about their different religions (Sara is Muslim and Elizabeth is Jewish) and cultures. On the outside they seemed very different from one another but they were a pot alike, including mothers who were preparing to take the US citizenship test. Like most middle grade novels there is friendship drama and school drama. I think both characters will be relatable to readers as well as windows into lives they may not be familiar with. I didn’t really connect with either characters and the plot didn’t keep me super interested, hence the lower rating. Despite this I think kid’s will enjoy it and I’d recommend it to middle grade readers looking for character-driven novels.

A moving story about two middle school girls, and their immigrant parents, who are brought together through food. Comp. 'American as Paneer Pie' by Supriya Kelkar

This is a beautiful #ownvoices story of two quite different middle school girls, Sara (Muslim) and Elizabeth (Jewish). Sara is quite reserved and doesn’t really care for making friends at her new school so she lays low. She sits in the back of her mom’s cooking classes she teaches at school and draws. On the other hand, Elizabeth is obsessed with cooking, especially South Asian dishes like Mrs. Hameed cooks in the cooking club. She’s all in! Elizabeth keeps eyeing Sara in the back of the room and eventually tries to connect with her. It didn’t go as planned because of the lack of response from Sara. Since they go to the same school they see each other often and eventually connects more in Mrs. Hameed’s cooking club. They slowly but surely let down their barriers and bond as cooking partners, and soon after great friends. There’s an exquisite mix of themes like friendship, cultural differences, religion, racism, courage, and adversity.

The collaboration with both Saadia and Laura was outstanding because it shows that even though two people can be quite different, we always can find so many ways to connect and learn from each other. This novel is one of my favorite 2020 books! Please, make sure this book gets into the hands of children through class libraries, school libraries, and public libraries. We need more #ownvoices books like this one!

I have a tendency to gravitate towards stories told from multiple points of view. I think it makes the story more well rounded and interesting to have two unique voices. This story also was interesting to me in a unique way because I grew up with a Pakistani stepdad, so the Pakistani culture is very familiar to me. I have a 12 year old daughter and I think most anyone can remember what a difficult time middle school was, particularly when it comes to making an keeping friends. I am white and grew up in a predominately white , predominately Christian smalll town so i don't have the added perspective of looking different and standing out for cultural or religuous differences, but I was an awkward kid and making friends was never a cake walk for me so I can relate in that way. What I loved most about this book, aimed towards middle grade readers, is the sheer amount of Jewish and Pakistani culture that the book provides from them to learn about, and at the same time giving a look into how racism is still a thing, AND it also focuses on friendships and how tough they are to navigate at that age. I will definitely have my 12 year old read this book and I'd recommend it to any other middle grade reader based on the fact that there is plenty to learn from reading it.

Sara's mother is running a cooking club at her school, and she is forced to go along. She used to attend Iqra Islamic School with her best friend Rabia, but has recently moved to the public middle school. Elizabeth Shainmark is also attending the class with her friend Maddy, who has been spending more and more time with Stephanie. The students in the class are not very nice to Mrs. Hameed, making comments about the spiciness of the food and pretending they can't understand her accented English, and the home Family and Consumer science teacher Mrs. Kluckowski is openly hostile as well. Elizabeth, whose British born mother is working on her citizenship test, tries to connect with Sara, who is reluctant to engage with anyone in her new school. Elizabeth's mother is depressed after the death of her own mother in England, rarely cooks, and hasn't gone back to work. Things are tough at Sara's house as well; her mother started a catering business from their kitchen, but hasn't made enough money to pay back the loan, which is why Sara has had to move to public school. She is also studying to become a US citizen. As Sara and Elizabeth become closer, they introduce their mothers, hoping that the two will help each other out. Elizabeth is worried that her mother will return to England and never return to the US, but is helped somewhat when her father's mother, Bubbe, comes to visit the family. Elizabeth enjoys her family's Jewish traditions and can understand why Sara is often uncomfortable and scared because of racial prejudice. They both experience friendship troubles. The two work together on a recipe for a school contest and come up with Earl Grey ice cream with halwa bits in it, but run into trouble with Mrs. Kluckowski when making a test batch. Will the girls be able to help their mothers with gaining their citizenship and keeping their families afloat while navigating the unsteady waters of middle school?

Strengths: First of all, all middle grade books should include lots of food and sports! I loved that Elizabeth and Sara were reluctant friends, brought together by circumstances, but eventually warmed to each other and made a difference in each other's lives. I also enjoyed that they both had strong, supportive, intact families who were going through some difficulties. Family difficulties do impact children, and it was interesting to watch the two girls try to help out. Sara's transition to a public school was described in a way that made her bitterness understandable. Maddy's family was responsible for her behavior (her father calls Mrs. Hameed "that Arab woman" and talks about "people like us"), but she eventually rises above it. Stephanie was a character with hidden depths. It is good to see a book where parents are working on becoming citizens; I can't think of any others, and I certainly have a lot of students in this situation.

Weaknesses: It was hard for me to believe that Mrs. Kluckowski could be so mean; it would NOT fly at my school. Also, she should have just been grateful she still had a job as a home ec teacher, no matter who was using "her" classroom! I also had my standard grievance with a parent experiencing loss and neglecting her family as a result; I have decided to blame our culture and its expectations involving death rather than particular books. It's just always hard for me personally to read these depictions.

What I really think: This is a great addition to books with cultural connections by two #ownvoices authors working together, like Weeks and Varadarajan's Save Me a Seat and Rosenberg and Shang's This is Just a Test.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I fell into this story of Sara & Elizabeth told in two voices. Sara is Pakistani-American, and her mother is teaching a South Asian cooking class after school that she is forced to attend. Sara doesn't want to attend at first but finds herself drawn into the class and helping her mom feel more confident in teaching it. . Elizabeth is British-American and Jewish and attends the class with the hope of learning how to make better meals for her family, since her mom is depressed and doesn't really cook for them. These girls slowly become friends. through cooking and commonalities. They discover that both of their mothers are preparing to take their U.S. citizenship test, and bring them together with the hope that they can help each other study and prepare.

I loved this story and how Sara teaches Elizabeth what it truly means to be an ally, and what that looks like and how to support a friend whose race is different from their own. I also love that food is such a big part of this story. The imagery made my mouth water! I also liked how the girls explore to create a culinary fusion for the international cooking contest they are entering. This book has so much packed into it and is an excellent source of discussion. I could see it being a great tool in the classroom to address certain topics such as race, religion, and immigration.
A great fulfilling story of family, friendship and learning about other's cultures.

A Place At The Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Bespectacled, nerdy, half-Jewish-half-Brittish Elizabeth and dark-haired, artistic, Muslim, Pakistani-American Sara may not realize it at first but they have a lot in common. Both have mothers who are immigrants studying for their citizenship tests, both have pesky brothers, both are members of often discriminated against religious groups, both have best friends who are suddenly distant through no fault of their own. When they become partners in an afterschool South Asian cooking club, they begin to let the preconceived notions each has about the other fall away and learn that there is much more to someone than what you see on the outside. Through the experiences of these two girls we see the path to find common ground with anyone.
Like five star fusion cuisine, Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan beautifully blend cultures and writing styles in this seamless story of two worlds that meet in middle school. The lessons within this book are many: don’t judge people without taking time to talk to them, don’t assume people won’t understand without giving them a chance, and being a passive observer is not the same as being an ally.
We are all human and that means we all have stories to tell. Even the mean girls, even the too-strict teacher, even the absentee parent, If we’re willing to see people and hear their stories we can see how much we share and not just how different we seem on the outside. This beautiful novel shows the path to making sure we all have a place at the table.

Recommended for grades 3-8

A Place at the Table is a story told in two voices by two authors. Elizabeth and Sara are both starting middle school and aren't ready for all the changes that this transition brings. Elizabeth is trying to keep her elementary best friend while Sara is adapting from her small Islamic school to this giant new public middle school. The two girls meet when Sara's mom begins teaching for the cooking club and Elizabeth enrolls. Both girls are going through transitions in their friendships as well as problems at home. As they struggle with these changes they realize that they are the friend that the other one needs.

I love how both authors infuse this novel with aspects of their religion and traditions. Elizabeth is Jewish and Sara is Muslim and in this story readers will hear how both characters celebrate as well as struggle with their religious traditions. Immigration also plays an important role because both girls have mothers who are applying for citizenship. Elizabeth's mother from England and Sara's mother from Pakistan. Sara's mother faces more criticism and xenophobia than Elizabeth's and I think that this is dealt with really well in the story. Particularly how Elizabeth brings up why this is so and what she thinks about it.

This is a wonderful story about friendship, immigration, and sharing the food that you love. Middle grade readers will connect with the characters in this book and everyone will delight in the delicious descriptions of all of the tasty foods. I can't wait to share this book with students.