Lasagna Means I Love You

By: Kate O'Shaughnessy

Narrated by: Annie Q

What are the essential ingredients that make a family? Eleven-year-old Mo is making up her own recipe in this unforgettable story that's a little sweet, a little sour, and totally delicious.

Nan was all the family Mo ever needed. But suddenly she’s gone, and Mo finds herself in foster care after her uncle decides she’s not worth sticking around for.
Nan left her a notebook and advised her to get a hobby, like ferret racing or palm reading.
But how could a hobby fix anything in her newly topsy-turvy life?
Then Mo finds a handmade cookbook filled with someone else’s family recipes. Even though Nan never cooked, Mo can’t tear her eyes away. Not so much from the recipes, but the stories attached to them. Though, when she makes herself a pot of soup, it is every bit as comforting as the recipe notes said.
Soon Mo finds herself asking everyone she meets for their family recipes. Teaching herself to make them. Collecting the stories behind them. Building a website to share them. And, okay, secretly hoping that a long-lost relative will find her and give her a family recipe all her own.
But when everything starts to unravel again, Mo realizes that if she wants a family recipe—or a real family—she’s going to have to make it up herself.

This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF that contains recipes and photos from the book.

Critic reviews

★ "Readers will laugh, cry, and embrace Mo completely.... Deeply moving and tender." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "[An] 11-year-old in mourning navigates foster care and seeks connection by collecting families’ recipes and stories in this tenderly rendered, character-driven novel.... Extremely satisfying." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Mo, imperfections and all, is a winning heroine. To be read with snacks at hand, and perhaps also some tissues." —The Horn Book

"Will pull at the heart strings of all readers." —School Library Journal

The heart warming story

This book made me ball my eyes out twice and made me feel connected to the characters, if you are looking for a heart warming book, this is for you.

I love lasagna!

This is one of the sweetest books about how sometimes family isn't always blood but is family non the less. One of my favorite quotes is, “What I want you to see is that some relationships are bridges. They aren't meant to last forever but take you where you're meant to be. “

Grab Tissues

I found myself reading other books from my physical TBR pile and putting this one off so I finally downloaded it on Audible. I am so glad I did. The narration was perfect. This is an amazing, emotional book and I’m really glad I experienced the audiobook.

Mo when she got adopted bye Joe and carliat it was going to make me cry

I can’t dislike it it was just like amazing. There’s so many words that I can share about it and so many things but this is what I wanna say you guys did. Amazing job writing a story it was so good. I listen to it every single morning I just loved it. Thank you for sharing the story with you.

Disappointing

The premise is touching, and it begins as a wholesome book that I might have recommended for middle-graders and young high schoolers.
However, my low rating and not finishing the book is due to over-politicizing of the foster care program and some unwholesome themes. It's unbelievable to me that 11 or 12-year-olds would articulate (on more than one occasion) the disparities in foster care experiences when they haven't experienced them themselves.
Also, and this is a personal preference, the exploration of sexual preferences is not appropriate for the intended age group.