Lasagna Means I Love You

Lasagna Means I Love You
by Kate O'Shaughnessy
Recommended Ages: 10+

Mo's mom is long gone. Her dad is out of the picture. Her beloved grandmother just died, and her only other known relative – Uncle Billy – is too busy being a soldier to take care of her. So, into New York's foster care system she goes. And honestly, she probably has a better time of it than the average kid. But it's still a rocky adjustment, moving from one family to another, meeting with case workers and a therapist, looking for a home where she feels she belongs. Mo clings to her grandma's memory, writing a diary in the form of letters to her and begging for a little heavenly help. She insists on going back to her old school, even though it means traveling to another borough of the city. She starts a hobby – cooking – inspired by a cookbook she temporarily liberates from the case management office. And then she starts a website, gathering other people's family recipes in search of a connection to her own family. If they're out there.

Mo is an exceptional kid, and her search for a Gallagher family recipe takes her to some interesting places and exposes her to a variety of cultures and family shapes. She starts to feel like she might have found a real family to be a part of, but even after that, things don't go in a straight line for her. There's a distant cousin whose blandness is strangely alarming. There's a Chinese-American family where she'd feel at home if they had room for her. There's a well-to-do couple who want to give back to society. And there's a salt-of-the-earth couple whose family greeting, "Lasagna!" means – well, you know.

This bright, articulate 11-year-old makes some mistakes, doesn't always have a good attitude and isn't completely sympathetic. Nevertheless, your heart will go out to her as she navigates anxiety issues, grief, feelings of rejection, anger, joy, success, failure, apathy and hope, cycling around and enveloping her in unexpected ways. Mo's a girl who loves the Jets despite knowing what to expect from them; who roots for them to win even while watching a recording of a game they already lost. She brings together a diverse group of helpers to pull off an extraordinary event, even while the bottom is dropping out of her heart. She's a wise-for-her-years youngster with a wit that'll make you smile and a heart you'll ache for. What becomes of her will hold you to the last page.

California-based Kate O'Shaughnessy is also the author of middle-grades children's novels The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane and Newbery Honor Book The Wrong Way Home. From the descriptions I've read of them, both books have in common with this book a hero girl who is searching for where she truly belongs.