A story about family, faith, forgiveness, and discovering your identity. Hannah, a girl who loves cooking and food, wants to figure out what being Jewish means.

When Hannah's best friend Shira has her Bat Mitzvah, Hannah decides she's going to have one two to prove she's Jewish enough. Too bad her parents will never agree to it. So Hannah cooks up a plan with her Grandma Mimi to study for her Bat Mitzvah in secret, which leads Hannah down a road to figuring out what being Jewish really means.

I really enjoyed this book and some of the questions raised, like what is Jewish enough and what does it mean to be Jewish and how that changes for each person. I loved the characters and the cooking throughout that tied the culture of Jewish food in. It was a fun read and great for those struggling with finding their Jewish identity or anyone wanted to learn more about Judaism.

Recipe for Disaster by Aimee Lucido, 2021

Recommended for grades 4-8; Realistic Fiction

Brief Review:

Twelve-year-old Hannah Malfa-Adler is tired of being told that she isn’t really Jewish. After her best friend Shira’s bat mitzvah, Hannah decides that she’s going to have her own bat mitzvah. Her parents say no, but with the help of her Grandma Mimi and her estranged Aunt Yael, Hannah begins studying Hebrew and preparing for her bat mitzvah. But in the meantime, Hannah’s sudden interest in her Jewish heritage has caused tension within her family and also with Shira, who thinks that Hannah is lying about the bat mitzvah. As her friendship with Shira deteriorates, Hannah befriends a new girl, Vee, but she later damages that new relationship by insinuating that Vee isn’t “really Jewish”. When sudden tragedy strikes Hannah’s family, it forces her to change her plans for her bat mitzvah, but it also provides the catalyst for Hannah to repair relationships with both her friends and (spoiler alert) finally even to help her mother and Aunt Yael make peace with each other. Although this book is mostly in prose, it includes sections in verse, and all of this is interspersed with recipes. Food plays a significant role in the book, sometimes just by setting the tone, but occasionally by providing metaphors. While the basic plotline is fairly typical of middle grade novels, the food theme and the book’s format give it a memorable and meaningful twist. Full of feel-good messages about family and self-identity.


Long Review:

Twelve-year-old Hannah Malfa-Adler is tired of being told that she isn’t really Jewish. Her maternal grandmother is Jewish, and Grandma Mimi has always said that makes Hannah and her brother Sam technically Jewish, but it’s true that they don’t go to synagogue and that Mom doesn’t even consider herself Jewish. And at Hannnah’s best friend Shira’s bat mitzvah, Shira tells all their friends that Hannah isn’t really Jewish. Hannah decides she’s had enough and she announces that they’re wrong and she actually is going to have her own bat mitzvah.

With the help and support of Grandma Mimi, Hannah starts secretly studying for her bat mitzvah with her estranged Aunt Yael. She’s never understood why Mom and Aunt Yael have completely cut ties, but Aunt Yael seems like a good person to have on her side. But in the meantime, Hannah’s sudden interest in her Jewish roots has caused tension in her family and with Shira. Since Hannah has never been as dedicated to the Jewish religion as Shira has been, Shira finds Hannah’s sudden desire for a bat mitzvah “honestly kind of insulting.” And she knows how much work it is to prepare for a bat mitzvah, so she doesn’t believe Hannah is actually doing it. The girls have been best friends since they were four, but now Shira decides that they need a “break” from each other.

Even before then, when Shira started sitting by her new boyfriend in class, Hannah found herself partnered with the new girl Victoria (or Vee for short). Vee is Guatemalan, but to Hannah’s surprise, she’s also Jewish. For a few months, their friendship seems to be off to a good start, but things fall apart when Hannah finds out that Vee’s Jewish identity doesn’t come from her biological mother. Despite her own identity crisis over whether or not she’s Jewish enough, Hannah questions Vee’s Jewish-ness. Now Hannah is in a fight with each of her best friends over essentially the same issue.

When sudden tragedy strikes Hannah’s family, it forces her to change her plans for her bat mitzvah, but it also provides the catalyst for Hannah to repair relationships with both her friends and (spoiler alert) finally even to help her mother and Aunt Yael make peace with each other.

Although this middle grade novel is mostly in prose, it includes sections in verse, and all of this is interspersed with recipes. Food plays a significant role in the book, sometimes just by setting the tone, but occasionally by providing metaphors. It also contributes to the plot, since Hannah’s family does a lot of baking. A side plot revolves around Sam’s struggle to persuade his parents to let him go to culinary school. And Aunt Yael tells Hannah that her appreciation for food and traditional family recipes is quintessentially Jewish. (It is worth noting that this book never explicitly points out that “Jewish-ness” can be defined differently depending upon whether one is talking about genealogy, cultural heritage, or religion) The food theme ties together everything else that’s going on in this book.

This middle grade novel follows a fairly common plotline about a girl who accidentally damages her relationships with family members and friends by making a couple thoughtless comments and telling a few too many untruths, but who then learns how to repair those relationships. But the additional side plots, the messages about self identity and family, and the cooking theme all add together to make this book something a little more memorable and meaningful than all of the other stories out there with similar plot points.

I received an electronic ARC from Clarion Books through Netgalley.
Told in a variety of formats - verse, chapter, list, etc. - from one narrator's point of view. Hannah brings readers into her world where she struggles to understand what it means to be Jewish, what it means to be part of a family, what it means to be a good friend, and what it means to be her. In some form, middle grade readers ask these same questions of themselves and struggle as Hannah does to figure them out. Lucido offers no concrete answers but lets readers walk along with Hannah on her journey. I love the title as it connects so many threads in this story from the actual baking that is so much a part of their lives to the secrets that each allows to color their lives. Hannah learns some hard lessons about friendship and family dynamics but does start to figure out ways to heal and do better. Middle grade readers will appreciate her efforts though some may struggle with the various formats in each chapter. A terrific book to expose them to different styles of sharing a message in print.

A perfect coming of age story for the Jewish reader....complete with lots of food! Hannah is facing the ups and downs of middle school, including a best friend that may not be, new people in town, political injustices, loss of loved ones, and the crisis of identity that everyone goes through at that age. Whether your reader is Jewish or not, this is a very relatable book. In fact, I'd give it to my non-Jewish students just for the cultural exposure in a format they can appreciate! Complete with recipes - some for food and some for life - the book is written in a gentle format that brings the reader in and asks you to stay a while...

Even though Hannah’s mom is Jewish, Hannah doesn’t feel like it until she goes to her best friend’s Bat Mitzvah and realizes she wants her own Bat Mitzvah. This causes many family problems with both parents saying no. Grandma Mimi says she’ll talk to the parents. Hannah’s mom says she’s old enough to come up with her own definition of what is Jewish without a Bat Mitzvah. As friend problems happen, Hannah feels alone and turns to her Aunt Yael, whom her mom hasn’t talked to in seven years. Hannah keeps questioning herself is she really Jewish, and her aunt tells her “be Jewish the way only you can.” In the end,something happens to bring the family and friends together and Hannah finally realizes what being Jewish means to her.

I will absolutely be adding this to our school library collection and think others should too! Recipe for Disaster is told mainly through prose, but with a little told as novel-in-verse and a little told through recipes. All of this makes for a clever and unique style of storytelling and is highly appealing. I give both the book and Aimee Lucido's author's note the "chef kiss".

Liked so much here, and how this book was not afraid to talk about some pretty intense topics for a MG book, and the celebration of Jewish culture! But I can't get behind the whole "Is God wrong" theology the MC goes through in act 3, and honestly can't recommend it because of this.

My middle grade reader loves cooking, and I know she will love recipe for Disaster. Lots of big topics are explored in this novel, but in a compassionate and easy-to-digest way.

I loved the mixture of prose, verse, and recipes -- and the way the author formatted the book to take place over a school year will be completely relatable to tweens and young teens.

The reader needs to be careful not to read this on an empty stomach as everything Hannah and her grandmother bake sounds so good. I loved everything about this book. Hannah and her family are Jew-ish, and Hannah decides, at the bat mitzvah of her best friend, that she would like a bat mitzvah as well. This book ties together the tween and teen angst of changing friendships, figuring out identity, and realizing that your family is loving and imperfect. It follows Hannah through a challenging year, as she seeks to find meaning in her life, and her place in her world, using baking, family, friends, and traditional texts. This book authentically portrays Judaism, but is relatable to kids of any religion.

For a thought provoking read about family, faith, friendship, and figuring out who you are as your 13th birthday approaches, this is a stay-up-late-to-find-out-what-happens-next page turner. There is nothing else out there quite like this book. In familiar settings and situations of home, school, friendship tension, and family difficulties, the author asks big questions: What makes a person Jewish? Who decides what a young person does with their life? How do you fix a friendship when you're the one who broke it? How do you react when a friend experiences a hate crime? What is the recipe for apologizing?

Happily, that recipe can be found in this book and used for the rest of your life, along with many, many delicious recipes for baked goods, integrated into the text. Told in both verse and prose, and of course recipes, this is a book to be put in the hands of young readers who are looking for answers and ready to ask questions of themselves. I truly loved it.


This review may be found on Goodreads

This is such a wonderful cozy read. I was really drawn in because it has Hannah exploring her Jewish faith and how it affects her identity.
I loved this adventure we take with Hannah as she explores what it means to be Jewish in both her community and her heart. This middle grade book is perfect for anyone wondering who they are and struggling through the years of middle school. This was a delightful read that had me itching to try Grandma Mimi's recipes.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a beautiful coming of age story for a young girl named, Hannah that struggles with her Jewish identity. For me, characters make the story and fill your heart as real people would. Grandma Mimi and Vee especially are characters that have distinctive voices, enrich the story, and I already miss reading about. Lucido captures a unique voice with Hannah, but it is one that many kids will identify with. Family and food with recipes! What's better than that?

A perfect mixture of friendship and family drama in this middle grade recipe for a great handsell. Hannah explores what it means to be Jewish in both her community and her heart, and her honesty in questioning her own faith is both sweet and profound. A delightful read that sent me straight to the kitchen to try Grandma Mimi's recipes.

With a delicious blend of feel-good and feel-deeply, Lucido takes us on a tasty trek through the struggle to create an identity, to heal a family, and to renew friendships. Humor, poetry, and honesty aren't just the icing here, but the cake. A must-read for anyone who wrestles with how to make a recipe out of their random genetic and cultural ingredients. Highly recommended!

I absolutely loved this heartfelt novel. Although it explores deep/complex themes, there is plenty of lighthearted fun and the tone it is always pitch perfect for its intended audience. I rooted for Hannah from page one and found myself unable to put it down. Highly recommended!