A Place at the Table by Faruqi, Saadia

A timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mom.

Sixth graders Sara and Elizabeth could not be more different. Sara is at a new school that is completely unlike the small Islamic school she used to attend. Elizabeth has her own problems: her British mum has been struggling with depression.

The girls meet in an after-school South Asian cooking class, which Elizabeth takes because her mom has stopped cooking, and which Sara, who hates to cook, is forced to attend because her mother is the teacher. The girls form a shaky alliance that gradually deepens, and they make plans to create the most amazing, mouth-watering cross-cultural dish together and win a spot on a local food show.

They make good cooking partners... but can they learn to trust each other enough to become true friends?

Author: Saadia Faruqi, Laura Shovan
Publisher: Clarion Books
Published: 08/11/2020
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.50w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780358116684
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.4
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 508851 / Place at the Table


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2020
Publishers Weekly 04/27/2020
School Library Journal 05/01/2020 pg. 55
Booklist 04/15/2020 pg. 73
Booklist 06/01/2020 pg. 88
Shelf Awareness 08/18/2020

About the Author
Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author, essayist, interfaith activist, and author of the Yasmin books, an early reader series about a Pakistani American girl. She lives with her husband and children in Houston, Texas, where she is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry, and prose.

Laura Shovan is the author of two previous middle grade novels, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary and Takedown. She lives with her family in Maryland, where she is a longtime poet-in-the-schools for the Maryland State Arts Council.