a sweet Jewish middle grade story. About the bonds of family and how a family deli can also fee like family.

Book 079 of 300 ~ 2024

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Wow, for an 11 year old, Ellie is one intense kid. Is it cos she is the middle child? I don't know.

But she is definitely passionate about saving her family business, and she comes up with some pretty creative ideas.

I love how dishes mentioned are listed as recipes. I screenshot some interesting ones :)

Took a while with this not because it was draggy, but it just felt like it needed to be read spread out.

I am glad I did.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

A sweet middle grade novel about friendship, family, and dealing with anxiety. Well written and entertaining.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I found Ellie's Deli to be a cute book that reminds me of being a child and concerning myself with adult problems like Ellie, Ava, and their friends. I did find the book a bit long at times, but then another yummy recipe popped up and I was invested again.

I think Lisa Greenwald wrote all the Characters relatable and true to their age. Mabel, however, should do some chores.

"Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup" is a delightful and heartwarming novel that captures the essence of the emotions of young girls on the cusp of becoming teenagers. We meet the main character, Ellie, a spunky character with a special love for her “Bubbie” and the Deli that has been in their family for several generations.

We read as Ellie swings between childhood by her belief that she can wish her troubles away by “Wishing On Matzo Ball Soup” and her journey toward adulthood by Ellie and her best friend formulating a plan to save thee deli.

One of the many highlights of this book is the inclusion of fun recipes. Greenwald takes the reading experience to a whole new level by exposing us to recipes and customs that are part of the Jewish community. Also, each recipe is accompanied by a delightful illustration.

Another aspect that sets this book apart is the charming illustrations sprinkled throughout the pages. These visuals enhance the reading experience and transport readers further into the story's enchanting world. The illustrations bring the characters and their emotions to life, making connecting and rooting for them easy.

"Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup" is a lovely novel that combines spunky characters, a kind-hearted atmosphere, fun recipes, and beautiful illustrations. Lisa Greenwald's writing will provide the young reader with a character that serves as a reminder that a kid can make a difference in another person's life. The tale she weaves will surely stay with the reader long after the reader has turned the last page.

This is a wonderful middle grade novel, and I hope it's the start to a series because I would love to spend more time with these characters. Ellie's character is well-written and someone that you can't help but root for. Her struggles with anxiety and feeling caught between being a kid and worrying about adult issues are so realistic and resonate throughout the book. Her relationships with friends and family are charming and pitch-perfect for a middle grade novel. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from the author.

"Deli"ghtful Book!

Ellie Glantz considers Lukshen Deli an actual member of the family. After all her family has owned it for four generations. But sales are down, and the business is not doing as well as it once was. With the deli losing money and a new restaurant group offering to buy, Ellie is afraid of losing her home away from home. She decides that she must find a way to increase sales and save the deli!

In this adorable novel the protagonist is a girl with gumption. Her can-do attitude helps her brainstorm with her best friend Ava to create and implement strategies to help the deli. The budding entrepreneur manages to take action when the adults are still just worrying. Lisa Greenwald’s excellent writing captivated me from the beginning. The descriptions of the deli invoked the memory of pictures of my own grandfather’s deli that he ran when my dad was a kid. The imagery of Ellie standing over a pot of simmering soup made my mouth water. I could almost smell the soup myself. The mouthwatering recipes between each chapter made me want to break out my own mother’s recipe collection. The author does a great job of representation as Jewish culture is peppered throughout the story. From the recipes to the mention of sabbath and holiday customs, to the passages about needing a minion (10 adults) to say the kaddish prayer for the dead, she paints life in a Jewish neighborhood. But the book is appealing to children of all cultures. The topics that she addresses are universal. The biggest theme of the book is that of family. Greenwald does a great job with character descriptions. The grandparents are great. Bubbie is warm, loving and too frail for Ellie’s comfort Zayde is a gem. Mom is overprotective, Ellie’s sisters are annoying but show love in their own way. Ellie has a lot of depth to her character. She is not just a one-dimensional protagonist. She is a great worrier and must learn how to deal with undue anxiety. She also fears that she may be losing her friend to the new girl at school. Readers not only see Ellie’s feelings about the new student but eventually get to see things from the new kid’s point of view. Her best friend deals with the fact that her mom seems to be in love. She is happy for her mom but doesn’t want to lose the closeness that they had when it was just the two of them since the divorce. The book reflects inclusiveness in the fact that she is experiencing “weirdness” by her mom now being in love with an old friend, but she is not at all fazed that the new love is a woman. That fact is completely glossed over, a nonissue. This delightful book is sprinkled with several charming line drawings by illustrator Galia Bernstein.

Of course, I recommend this book to Jewish children who will benefit from reading a book with a protagonist that they can identify with. Their parents will get a kick out of it too. But I also think other kids will be able to appreciate the way that character deals with anxiety and jealousy and learns to set goals. This is a great read for all middle grade kids.

Jewish middle grade novels are experiencing a renaissance and you’d be surprised how many of them feature a family restaurant. This one stands above the rest, however — Ellie is a more nuanced and sophisticated character and one my children could relate to. As a family, we also appreciated the way this book did not shy from going beyond “Jewish rep” - casual name-checking of traditional foods, for example — but went all in on Jewish lifestyle, including making something as difficult as grief rituals accessible to kids.

This is a delightful book, perfect for Middle Schooler’s. Ellie’s family owns a deli and it in in danger of getting shut down. She makes a wish to save the deli on a bowl of matzoh ball soup. Don’t worry if you you start craving some deli favorites. There are fourteen recipes in the book to satisfy your appetite.
This is a great book about family and working together. I am looking forward to more adventures with Ellie and her family and friends. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I got an ARC of this book.

It is a middle grade book, why is it taking me days to read? Nothing is happening. There is so much going to and from school. There isn't anything to make me get invested in this story and I really wanted to like it.

The recipes were pretty mild. I didn't feel a need to make them.

Overall, I am just sad that this one didn't become an instant favorite of mine. Magic wishing soup in a Jewish deli sounds like my story, but it just wasn't.

This is a very sweet read about a determined and passionate 11 year old girl who values her family, their deli, and her friendships.
The problem solving aspects Ellie deals with in the book make the pages turn quickly as if it’s a mystery she’s trying to solve as she proposes ideas and solutions to her friends and neighbors about how to save her family’s deli.
The plot points about anxiety, goal making, journal writing, and what makes a hero we’re excellent additions without coming off too much like teachable moments. I hope a second books explores a little more conversation between Ellie and her parents about good anxiety coping skills.
I would recommend this for ages 7-10 and for fans of Lola Levine looking for a step up in length and complexity.

I love the story but I felt like the ending fell flat. It was very creative and I loved the characters. I loved the recipe cards in the book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a good read. I liked how Ellie thought up ideas how to help her family’s deli. Even when she wasn’t sure; she still hoped everything would turn out ok. I liked the various recipes throughout the book.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC! This is a chapter book about a girl whose family owns a Jewish Deli, and the Deli is in trouble of having the close. This is a longer chapter book so I would recommend this book for older readers such as 4th grade and older. I like how there are recipes throughout the book- a great extension for readers to do with their families.

This was an incredibly cute book. Ellie is an 11 year old Jewish girl growing up ina small town who loves her families kosher deli that has been in handed for 4 generations. When. It looks like the deli might be struggling and need to close down, Ellie knows that she has to do SOMETHING to help save it. With the help of her best friend Eva and some kind-hearted adults and a new friend, she might be able to come up with some clever new ideas to bring her families old-fashioned deli into the modern world. This is a story that I think a lot of middle school age kids will enjoy. Ellie is a nice kid who genuinely cares about others, is a good friend, and ,Ives her family. She’s always looking for the silver lining and keeps a positive attitude even when it seems impossible. She’s the kind of kid I would want to be friends with if I was 11.

This is a good read about Ellie trying to save her family's deli. I liked the friendships throughout too and how they wanted to work to help save the deli too. I liked that Ava always had her back and the new friendship she creates with Nina.
The struggle with the developers and trying to update the deli at the same time was very realistic and showed our characters leaning on each other for new possibilities.
I did feel like it was a little long. And I think some of the recipes needed more instructions and some seemed a little too complicated for a child to do by themselves. But I did really like the look into making these Jewish foods. Some of which I make at home!

Good middle grade read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a very cute book! I loved all the ways Jewish culture and religion were woven throughout the story, and I appreciated 11-year-old Ellie's persistence in working to save her family's deli. I did find the placement of recipes between each chapter a bit jarring—I think they would be less distracting if they were included at the end, rather than throughout the book. Plus some of the recipes looked much too difficult for a middle-grade reader to make, and the instructions for some were too sparse. I think, in a book for middle-grade readers, the recipes should be tailored for those readers to be able to make them. Other than that, the story was delightful, and I definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Liked this one. It did get a bit boring and repetitive in the middle, but overall, I liked the illustrations and the protagonist. This heartwarming book for 9 year olds has lovely illustrations and is just a joy to read. Thrilled to hear it will be a series!

*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

It was a cute little story, with likeable characters, and I love that they included recipes in the book. It's a perfect read for a little kid interested in cooking and baking. Definitely recommend for 8-10 year olds.

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