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Ellie's Deli: Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup!
Book #1 of Ellie’s Deli
Illustrated by Galia Bernstein / Narrator Gail Shalan
Table of Contents
About The Book
From Lisa Greenwald, the beloved author of the TBH and Friendship List series, comes a new series about a girl trying to save her family's deli. Ellie’s family owns the town deli. Its official name is Lukshen Deli, but everybody calls it Ellie’s Deli. When a restaurant group threatens to move in and take over, tenacious Ellie and her BFFs must prove that matzo ball soup and sour pickles are here to stay, in this adorable new middle grade fiction series with recipes and illustrations throughout.
WINNER OF THE 2023 EARPHONES AWARD (AUDIOBOOK)
When Ellie accidentally overhears that her family deli is most likely going to close, she does the only thing she can think of. She makes a wish on matzo ball soup.
Eleven-year-old Ellie is feisty, determined, and a little bit anxious. She considers Lukshen Deli part of the family—after all, it’s been around for four generations, ever since her great-grandmother opened it. Along with her BFF, Ava; her sisters, Anna and Mabel; her lunch buddies, Aanya, Brynn, Nina, and Sally; and her grandparents, Bubbie and Zeyda, Ellie is determined to prove that old fashioned Jewish delis can get with the times—but if her plan doesn’t work, the deli will be sold for good.
Ellie’s Deli: Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup contains over 30 charming black-and-white illustrations and 14 recipes for quintessential Jewish American deli food, like challah, chicken soup, blintz souffle, and ruggelach. It’s a delightful story about sticking up for what you believe in, business ownership, friendship, and family.
"A cute and concretely Jewish take on a classic storyline." - Kirkus Reviews
WINNER OF THE 2023 EARPHONES AWARD (AUDIOBOOK)
When Ellie accidentally overhears that her family deli is most likely going to close, she does the only thing she can think of. She makes a wish on matzo ball soup.
Eleven-year-old Ellie is feisty, determined, and a little bit anxious. She considers Lukshen Deli part of the family—after all, it’s been around for four generations, ever since her great-grandmother opened it. Along with her BFF, Ava; her sisters, Anna and Mabel; her lunch buddies, Aanya, Brynn, Nina, and Sally; and her grandparents, Bubbie and Zeyda, Ellie is determined to prove that old fashioned Jewish delis can get with the times—but if her plan doesn’t work, the deli will be sold for good.
Ellie’s Deli: Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup contains over 30 charming black-and-white illustrations and 14 recipes for quintessential Jewish American deli food, like challah, chicken soup, blintz souffle, and ruggelach. It’s a delightful story about sticking up for what you believe in, business ownership, friendship, and family.
"A cute and concretely Jewish take on a classic storyline." - Kirkus Reviews
About The Illustrator
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (September 5, 2023)
- Runtime: 4 hours and 31 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781797169804
- Ages: 8 - 12
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Raves and Reviews
"Gale Shalan breezily introduces the Lukshen Deli and its owners, the Glantz family. Listeners meet adorable 11-year-old Ellie, along with her family and friends, including her best friend, Ava. When the future of the deli is in question, heartbroken Ellie suggests making deliveries and creating a loyalty program. Shalan sympathetically conveys Ellie’s fears as her beloved Grandma is hospitalized and Ava acquires a new friend. Most revealing is Ellie’s journal, in which she attempts to cope with her anxieties—at the same time teaching young listeners how to cope with their own. Superb descriptions of the Jewish faith and mouthwatering food (with recipes included) add atmosphere. Particularly relatable are Shalan’s characters, especially the girls, with their ever-changing emotions."
– Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award, AudioFile Magazine
"Gale Shalan breezily introduces the Lukshen Deli and its owners, the Glantz family. Listeners meet adorable 11-year-old Ellie, along with her family and friends, including her best friend, Ava. When the future of the deli is in question, heartbroken Ellie suggests making deliveries and creating a loyalty program. Shalan sympathetically conveys Ellie’s fears as her beloved Grandma is hospitalized and Ava acquires a new friend. Most revealing is Ellie’s journal, in which she attempts to cope with her anxieties—at the same time teaching young listeners how to cope with their own. Superb descriptions of the Jewish faith and mouthwatering food (with recipes included) add atmosphere. Particularly relatable are Shalan’s characters, especially the girls, with their ever-changing emotions."
– Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award, AudioFile Magazine
"In this series opener, 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
"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."
– Michal Hoschander Malen, Jewish Book Council
"I loved, loved, loved the happy ending, especially because it made sense and the problems were solved realistically."
– Karen Yingling, Ms Yingling Reads
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Ellie's Deli: Wishing on Matzo Ball Soup! Unabridged Audio Download 9781797169804
