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.

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.

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!