In a Pickle! — Lisa Greenwald

From Lisa Greenwald, the beloved author of the TBH and Friendship List series, and award-winning illustrator Galia Bernstein, comes Ellie's Deli: In a Pickle, the sequel to Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup! After saving her family’s deli from going out of business, 11-year-old Ellie is ready to embark on her next mission—plan her friend’s Bat Mitzvah party—in this illustrated chapter book for young teens with 14 recipes inside. When her BFF's cousin Charlie announces that her Bat Mitzvah venue closed and now she's probably not going to have a Bat Mitzvah party, tenacious 11-year-old Ellie takes it upon herself to be a party planner. In fact, the whole idea inspires her to be a party planner when she grows up. How fun would that be?!  But party-planning isn't all fun and games—Ellie also has to navigate her changing middle school friendship dynamic, get good grades in school, and help renovate her family’s deli’s attic into a swanky event space.    Ellie thinks she can handle everything, but soon feels like she’s, well, in a pickle. With the help of some reinforcements, like her Bubbie’s best friend, Gloria the event planner; her school advisor, Ms. Sinitz; maybe even her super annoying big sister, Anna; and her even more annoying little sister, Mabel; Ellie might just put a lid on this situation after all.  Ellie’s Deli: In a Pickle! contains 40 black-and-white illustrations and 14 recipes for scrumptious foods like chocolate-covered macaroons, baked salmon, and potato curry. It’s a relatable and heartwarming story that’s all about friendship, family, and learning when to ask for help."... 11-year-old Ellie Glantz loves her family’s kosher deli almost as much as she loves her grandparents Bubbie and Zeyda....[R]eligious practices and Yiddish words suffuse the story with a lived-in Judaism—unrelated to a specific holiday—that does not often appear in mainstream children’s books. In buoyant middle-grade fashion, Ellie and [her best friend] Ava join forces to rally the community and update the business in an effort to save the deli....A cute and concretely Jewish take on a classic storyline. (Kirkus Reviews for Ellie's Deli: Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup!) "A fun story with believable characters and solvable problems, this easy-to-read, middle-grade book will hold the reader's interest and provide excellent, humorous entertainment along the way. (Michael Hoschander Malen, Jewish Book Council for Ellie's Deli: Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup!)