Authors Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan, champions for interfaith cultural representation, teamed up to write A Place at the Table, a touching tale of friendship between two sixth graders. Faruqi, known best for her Yasmin series, and Shovan, who’s well-known for Takedown and The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, could not have been a better team to tell this story.
Sara, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants to the United States, does not feel like she belongs at her new school, where her differences from other kids are poignant. When she teams up with budding chef Elizabeth, a white Jewish girl with a British immigrant mother, in the school cooking club, she finds a friendship that might help renew her faith in the understanding between kids and boost her confidence in her own talents. But will their friendship be able to withstand the pressures of their unique relationship in middle school? Together, the girls explore immigration issues, bigotry, and a sense of belonging, all while straddling dual identities as ethnic minorities in America.
A nominee for the Great Stone Face middle grade book award, A Place at the Table is a good addition to any school library that serves 5th-7th graders. The audiobook, narrated expertly by Nikhaar Kishnani and Caitlin Kelly, is available on Libby.
Sara Lesley Arnold 