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.

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this story told in two different voices. Sara is Pakistani-American, and her mother is teaching a South Asian cooking class after school that she attends. Elizabeth is British-American and attends the class with the hope of learning how to make better meals for her family. The girls 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. In the process, they become tentative friends who have to learn how to trust, support, and understand each other and their respective cultures, and its effect on them as individuals.

What I loved most about this story is how Sara teaches Elizabeth what it truly means to be an ally, and what that looks like. I think that's a valuable lesson for young readers (as well as adult ones) who don't understand what that term means 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, and that the girls explore how to create a culinary fusion for the international cooking contest they enter. There is a lot of excellent discussion material in this story on big topics such as race, religion and immigration, but also friendship, family, and how to make choices to be the type of person you want to be.

I will definitely be adding this to our library's collection when it comes out in May.

I was immediately hooked by the dual stories of Sara and Elizabeth. This book is so unique, each chapter told from each of the girls’ perspective by two different authors. I learned so much about Pakistani and Jewish culture and about the different issues that each girl faced in her own life. They had my heart from their first lines and I cannot wait to share their story with everyone!