Lasagna Means I Love You

A white 11-year-old in mourning navigates foster care and seeks connection by collecting families’ recipes and stories in this tenderly rendered, character-driven novel by O’Shaughnessy (The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane). When the grandmother who raised her dies, and her sole uncle says he can’t take care of her, Mo Gallagher finds herself waiting for a foster placement in New York City. Journal entries framed as letters to her grandmother seek to reforge a connection amid rapid change (“If anyone can find a way to communicate from the afterlife, it’s you”). The letters also relay Mo’s worry about sharing recent events with best friend Crystal Wang, who is Chinese American; her promising interest in cooking after she finds a book of family recipes; and her growing friendship with the doorman at the building where she now lives. She begins to find her feet after starting a food website but falters when the placement she’s been getting used to hits a snag. Mo’s pitch-perfect voice vividly portrays her metropolitan past life with her quirky, vibrant grandmother; her own messy and layered feelings; and her established and growing relationships with others. Watching Mo develop new bonds and begin to feel like she has a place in the world is extremely satisfying. Ages 8–12. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park & Fine Literary and Media. (Feb.)