I had trouble getting into this book, but that's a me problem, not a problem with the book! Although I didn't finish it, I absolutely still plan to recommend it to middle grade readers at my library.

What a cool format! The mix of prose, free verse and recipes provided different levels of insight into Hannah's life and thoughts, and the story itself was highly compelling. Loved the exploration of religion.

I feel like the cover of this book is very misleading, it looks much more light hearted and bubbly than the story feels. I liked the format of the book, using verse and text and recipes, and I appreciated some of the story but overall I found it very heavy handed (here is a lesson and here is a lesson and oh, another lesson) and it relied a lot on the mother not telling the daughter what had happened in the past. Not my favorite, sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Recipe for Disaster is a great middle grade novel with Jewish representation and trying to find your identity.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very solid, warm look at identity, faith, and friendship. Lucido continues to break the bounds of what a novel can do and be!

I absolutely love seeing Jewish representation in books, it is one of the things I really look for for my collection, because there just isn't enough of it! I can't wait to share this wonderful story with my students-especially my Jewish students.

This MG novel is equal parts faith and friendship based and I think it's a book that will intrigue kids raised without religion (just like the MC) Figuring all of these issues out is a part of growing up for all kids.

I loved this book! I especially loved the "recipes" and the pages from the cooking book. I loved the characters and the way that plot progressed. This is such a great read!

A sweet disaster of a follow-up for Aimee Lucido! Such a heartfelt take on the muddled feelings of heritage v. culture v. reclamation of self. The mixed format is delightful (prose, verse, recipes). And altogether an extremely important story, especially for those readers teetering on the edges of their own identities.

This was a really good Middle Grade novel, that I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Twelve-year-old Hannah Malfa-Adler has been cooking with her Grandma Mimi for as long as she can remember. Life is getting more complicated for Hannah now that she is twelve. Her best friend, Shira is studying for her bat mitzvah. While Hannah is excited for her bestie, she is a little bit jealous. Grandma Mimi is Jewish, which makes her mother Jewish – thereby Hannah is as well. But is Hannah really Jewish if she doesn’t practice her religion? In their house the only person that practices Judaism is Grandma.

Everything was going along well, until Shira made a decision at her bat mitzvah party to dance with a boy she liked instead of the “best friend dance” she and Hannah discussed for weeks before the event. Hurt and jealous, Hannah proclaims she will be having the next bat mitzvah to her friends. Which is pretty unlikely because her mother refuses to have any association with her Jewish heritage. Grandma has a plan that may help Hannah, but is a secret until the time is right to tell Hannah’s mom.

Hannah’s teenage angst is portrayed beautifully. She is in turmoil in many aspects of her life. Religion, losing her best friend, finding a new friend that is edgy and the relationship with her parents all factor into her actions and thoughts. Her family isn’t the best support system at this very moment. First of all, her older brother wants to become a chef, much to the disdain of their father. The tension in their home is buffered with Grandma’s wise advice and delicious family recipes (which are included in the book).

This book is teenage reality wrapped in love. Middle school is not easy. Author Aimee Lucido does not sugar coat the situations Hannah finds herself in the middle of. But Lucido leads readers on a path that shows family and friends will disagree, but things will work out. Sometimes with surprising results.

This is the first book I have read by Aimee Lucido. It is the second book she has written, the first being Emmy In The Key of Code. I look forward to reading it as well as others she will write in the future. She just might be the Beverly Cleary of this generation.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2021 Laura Hartman

Recipe For Disaster, is the story of Hannah, daughter of a Jewish mother and a dad who was raised Catholic. The author, Aimee Lucido grew up under similar circumstances to her protagonist, Hannah. In this story Hannah struggles with feelings about whether she is really Jewish or not and wanting a Bat Mitzvah. Also thrown in the story are cooking sessions with her Jewish grandmother baking rugelach.


I liked the clever way the author writes recipes that are about the ingredients for friendship and relationships. Also the author is very perceptive about the family dynamics between her parents, grandmother and siblings and friends. This is a good story for middle schoolers to read for themselves

and also for parents to read and discuss with their kids.

I enjoyed this book about identity and faith even though I did not always agree with the author's sentiments on religion. I do think that it will especially resonate with the target audience. The writing is stellar and the plot is very character and emotion driven. It makes for a compelling read.

Hannah has been raised without any religion at all, because of a fight that her mother had with her sister who is a rabbi.

So, when Hannah's best friend has a fantastic Bat Mitzvah, Hannah decides that she wants one as well. Her grandmother, who is religious, reminds her that the Bat Mitzvah is more than a party, that is is also about faith and community and all that.

So, in secret, Hannah starts studying the part of the Torah that corresponds with her birthday.

And her grandmother ways she will tell her mother, when the time is right.

In between, we get recipes for what is going on. And Hannah is upset because her best friend seems to be not be her best friend since the ceremony.

Because middle grade books are all about friendships.

I enjoyed the story, but felt that Hannah should have told her mother, early on and just gone ahead with what she wanted to do. But, then, where would the story have taken us then. She also poisons her new friends friendship by saying that because she was Hispanic, she didn't know how she could be Jewish.

Good book for showing more about the Bat and Bar Mitzvah, and explaining about reading of the Torah.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

Hannah Malfa-Adler's mother was raised Jewish, but because of an ongoing feud with her rabbi sister, she's never wanted Hannah or her brother to be associated with the religion, even though Hannah's grandmother loves sharing her traditions with the family.
When Hannah attends her best friend (Shira)'s bat mitzvah, she decides that she wants one of her own. But Hannah's parents, along with Shira, tell her she isn't really Jewish and just wants a party. So Hannah turns to her grandmother, Mimi, for help and starts taking private Hebrew lessons with her mom's sister, Yael. Meanwhile, Shira seems to be drifting away as Hannah gets caught up in bat mitzvah planning, and there's a new girl in school, Victoria, who knows what it's like to be told she isn't Jewish enough. When a hate symbol is found spray-painted on Victoria's door, Hannah must come to terms with the fact that she can't let anyone else decide whether she is Jewish or not-- she can only decide for herself.

I could tell from the cover and title that baking is a big part of this book, and I am SO here for that. Not only does baking represent Hannah's connection to her grandmother and Jewish traditions, but there's also a side plot with the older brother, Sam, who wants to go to culinary school and starts a successful pie business at school with his friend. Honestly, Sam was one of the best characters (aside from Mimi) and should have his own book.
And the format, which is a combination of verse and traditional prose, just made it so much more interesting.

This is the second book I've read from Aimee Lucido, and I can't wait to see what she does next!

I found this book disappointing. I wasn't sure what I was expecting but I thought all the characters, save maybe Grandma Mimi, had very narrow perspectives on things. It really bothered me when Hannah's mom declares she cannot have a Bat Mitzvah because her mother does not practice Judaism and she declares that she gets to pick her child's religion. Hannah is going to be thirteen, I think that allows her to explore her heritage without being hampered by her family's views, whether her parents agree or not.

I did like the recipes Hannah disperses throughout the book about her friendship and her aunt, etc. I thought those were clever but overall this book just made me sad and angry. I struggled to finish it.

I received an advance copy of, Recipe for Disaster, by Aimee Lucido. There are a lot of recipes in this book, not all of them involve food. Hannah is learning and growing up, in this crazy world.

A super cute and fun heartfelt story about one girl’s schemes of throwing her own bat mitzvah leading to the reveal of family secrets, creating rivalries with best friends, and her journey to understanding what it really means to be Jewish. Written in a mixture of prose, poetry, and recipes this was such a fun read! The structure of the story was unique and I definitely will have to try out these recipes! I really had fun reading this and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a fun read and cooking!

*Thanks Netgalley and Clarion Books (formerly HMH Children's Books), for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

What a beautiful coming of age story and a look at what it means to be religious, have faith in God, and what it might mean to be Jewish. As someone who grew up reading many of the passages included in the book it was a good reminder about some valuable life lessons. I would recommend this more for upper MG readers, simply because I think a lot of the themes of the story are a bit advanced for 8 and 9 year-olds.