A Place at the Table

A Place at the Table (2020), a novel co-authored by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan, centers around sixth-graders Sara Hameed and Elizabeth Shainmark, first-generation United States-born children of immigrant families. Elizabeth discovers this shared experience is only sometimes equitable as she witnesses the racial discrimination faced by Sara and her family. The novel delves into the friends’ journey of understanding, acceptance, and pursuing the American dream, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity.

This guide is based on the 2020 Clarion Books hardcover edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss racial discrimination and antisemitism.

Plot Summary

Sara Hameed wants to blend in and ignore her mother’s cooking class. Her peers make that difficult as they laugh and make derogatory comments about Mrs. Hameed’s accent. The only person who doesn’t mock her is Elizabeth Shainmark. However, Sara does not want to make friends.

Elizabeth takes the cooking class to make better food than her mom’s frozen dinners and to spend time with her best friend, Maddy Montgomery. However, Maddy spends most of the class talking to Stephanie Tolleson and commenting on how she cannot understand Mrs. Hameed. As Elizabeth and Maddy leave, Mr. Montgomery negatively comments on Mrs. Hameed being the teacher.

The following day, Mr. Hameed instructs Sara to help her mother study for the US Citizenship test, as Mrs. Hameed has yet to devote time to studying while running her catering business. Mrs. Hameed says that she cannot stop teaching her cooking class because of financial difficulties; however, she will not elaborate, because she does not want to burden Sara. Elizabeth retrieves breakfast and discusses Mrs. Shainmark’s grief with Aunt Louise. 

During Sara’s art class, she struggles to find motivation for the assignment: creating a business flyer. She asks to use the restroom and hopes to find motivation on posters around the school. However, she only finds Elizabeth. The girls laugh about how Elizabeth lied to get out of gym class, but the camaraderie does not last. Maddy and Micah find Sara and Elizabeth in the hall; Maddy asks why Elizabeth is talking to Sara. Elizabeth responds that it is a casual conversation because they are not friends. That night, while Sara is working on her homework, she notices Mrs. Hameed’s bank loan bills and realizes how much trouble her family is experiencing. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Maddy talk about the cooking club, and Maddy announces she will not be returning, because her parents do not like the teacher. Sara volunteers to work with Elizabeth in Maddy’s place.

After class, Elizabeth helps the Hameeds clean the classroom and discovers Mrs. Hameed’s citizenship test booklet—the same one Mrs. Shainmark has. Her discovery sparks a conversation about the exam, leading to a tentative friendship between Sara and Elizabeth. Mr. Shainmark collects Elizabeth from the cooking club, and they take pizza home for dinner. Elizabeth wants to bless the dinner, but her mother says no, and her father agrees. Mrs. Shainmark announces her plan to visit Aunt Louise in London, which Mr. Shainmark disapproves of. Elizabeth pleads with Maddy to stay in the cooking club for the rest of the week. Maddy does, but partners with Stephanie rather than Elizabeth.

Sara wakes early and sketches a rough draft of an idea for her mother’s catering business. She enters the kitchen and finds half-cooked dishes everywhere. When she quizzes her mother on facts and history about the US, her mother cannot answer any of the questions. Sara visits the mosque with her father the following day to see friends. Returning to school on Monday, she feels the contrast between the mosque and the school more distinctly. Elizabeth asks Sara if she wants to trick-or-treat, but Sara cannot. Sara watches jealously as kids trick-or-treat, and Elizabeth spends the night with her brother, Justin.

Sara and Elizabeth mend the growing rift between them and begin planning for the newly announced International Festival showcase, in which they will participate. While they cook, they discuss how to have their moms meet and study together. Elizabeth calls the plan Operation High Tea: The girls will have their parents meet at a tea shop so the mothers can discuss the exam while the girls talk about homework and the festival. Elizabeth defends Maddy, claiming she is not a bad person, but Sara cannot agree.

School closes for Election Day the following day, and Elizabeth goes to the polling place with her father. She chats with Sara and Mr. Hameed in line, and while her father votes, Elizabeth talks to Maddy. Maddy wants to hang out, but Elizabeth has already made plans with Sara and Rabia at the mall. As Elizabeth and her father leave, Mr. Shainmark must take deep breaths to calm down after having to hear Mr. Montgomery’s racist and antisemitic comments.

Sara, Elizabeth, and Rabia meet at the mall after their parents vote and spend the day wandering. Sara and Elizabeth purchase matching shirts that reflect Sara’s culture, but Elizabeth takes the shirt off when Maddy sees it. Maddy is angry because Elizabeth chose to spend the day with Sara rather than her. Maddy tells Sara to return to where she came from, which leads Sara to explain how this experience is typical for her. Elizabeth reflects on times she faces antisemitism and processes how inappropriate Maddy’s comments have been.

During the cooking club, Maddy is passive-aggressive toward Elizabeth and Sara. Sara reads an announcement for her mother, saying that a celebrity will judge the International Festival contest, and the winner will be on TV. During art class, Mrs. Newman likes Sara’s sketch and apologizes to her when Sara corrects Mrs. Newman’s pronunciation of her name. Mrs. Newman asks Sara to make the banner for the International Festival, which Sara agrees to. Elizabeth convinces Sara to practice their s’mores paratha recipe during Thanksgiving break.

The girls meet at Elizabeth’s house, where Sara sees a less confident version of Elizabeth. Once they are in Elizabeth’s room, the confidence returns. When Sara sees a picture of Elizabeth and Maddy, she asks if the two are still friends. Elizabeth again defends Maddy by explaining Maddy’s parental influences and insisting she may not know better. Sara informs Elizabeth that Maddy needs to be educated if that’s the case. The girls soon practice their dish, which is a disaster. Mrs. Hameed invites Elizabeth to spend Thanksgiving Day with them, which she and her mother agree to.

Elizabeth is excited to spend Thanksgiving with Sara and finds similarities, including Mr. Hameed’s cricket enjoyment. The mothers have a shared announcement to make later in the day—their citizenship exams are scheduled for the same day. Elizabeth encourages Sara to discuss her artistic dreams with her parents, and Sara appreciates Elizabeth’s friendship. After the announcement, Elizabeth is upset because her father cannot attend the ceremony. Elizabeth’s father does not fully hear her concern that she needs and wants him around more.

Stephanie pulls Elizabeth aside at school and asks Elizabeth to talk to Maddy. Elizabeth is nervous to do so but agrees. Maddy brushes off Elizabeth’s concerns as middle-schoolers being mean to each other, and says that Sara needs to be less sensitive. When Mrs. Kluckowski’s new ice cream machine arrives, Elizabeth sees it as their chance. Sara and Elizabeth stay after the cooking club and make ice cream. Sara does not return to her mother. They succeed at creating a recipe but forget to clean the machine. Elizabeth’s grandmother visits during Hannukah and offers to talk to the Shainmark parents about their situation.

When the girls realize they did not clean the machine, Sara panics, while Elizabeth assures her nothing terrible will happen. However, Mrs. Kluckowski verbally attacks Mrs. Hameed and the cooking club. Sara flees the room, and Elizabeth confesses to what they did. Mrs. Hameed has the girls apologize to Mrs. Kluckowski, who accepts their apology and apologizes to Mrs. Hameed for her behavior.

Elizabeth stays home from school for a few days to avoid Sara and her peers. Maddy visits her at home and apologizes for her behavior and explains why she is jealous of Elizabeth and Sara. Maddy also acknowledges her problematic comments and offers a way to improve the situation.

Sara cannot avoid school. She avoids her peers by using the art room during lunch to craft the International Festival banner. When she goes home, she finds her mother preparing for company. The cooking club brings biryani ingredients to cook at Sara’s house. Sara and Elizabeth heal from their argument, and life returns to normal.

At the International Festival, Sara shows off the banner she made and the logo for her mother’s catering company. Her parents are both proud of her artistic skills. The judges declare Stephanie and Maddy the winners. Maddy apologizes to Sara, and the girls agree to be friends. The Hameeds and the Shainmarks celebrate Mrs. Hameed’s and Mrs. Shainmark’s citizenship together, and the girls enjoy the camaraderie between their families.