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!