Picked this up as an ARC from ALA, on the strength of her first book (Like the Red Panda) and hoping it would make up for the forgettable To Feel Stuff. Publisher said this is her first actual YA book.

And... meh. I enjoyed it, but it's nothing I feel compelled to add to my library's collection or recommend all that strongly. Story and pacing were good, characters were good, but I never really engaged with the book.

Also, this doesn't read like a teen book to me--more a book for 20-somethings. ( )

I liked spending time with a YA female lead who is emphatically not a romantic. I missed Ingrid when I closed the book and want to know what she does next with her life, and I can’t think of higher praise for a character. (Full review at http://www.parenthetical.net/2010/11/11/the-kid-table-by-andrea-seigel/) ( )

The Kid Table is Andrea Seigel's third book and her first for young adults. It was published in 2010, and there is talk of a possible movie adaptation, produced by Ivan Reitman.

The story follows the main character, 16-year-old Ingrid Bell, through different family events over the course of a year or so. It follows her and her five cousins who have been sitting at the "kid table" during family functions for as long as they can remember. The story opens at the Bar Mitzvah of their uncle who has decided to convert to judaism. It is here that Ingrid's older cousin Brianne, a psychology major, wonders aloud whether Ingrid might be a psychopath. From this point forward Ingrid's actions are judged with intense scrutiny by her family, especially after she laughs audibly at her uncle's heartfelt speech. The book follows Ingrid and her flirtation with Trevor, Brianne's boyfriend, over the course of a number of family events. Along the way her quirky cast of cousins develop and recover from eating disorders, try to get their parents to "out" them, and swim naked at a family barbecue. It all comes to a conclusion at a somewhat unorthodox wedding, where for the first time the cousins are no longer seated at a separate kid's table.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. For one thing, I hate almost all the YA fiction I have ever read. I usually find YA books unrealistic, cliched, and boring. But, an adult author who I admire said positive things about it and Andrea Seigel in general, so I decided it would be a good choice for this assignment. Though it did fall victim to some of the cliches of teen fiction (eating disorders, unrealistically "quirky" characters, and an ending right out of a terrible Little Miss Sunshine-esque feel good movie) for the most part I found the plot realistic and the characters endearing, especially the main character, Ingrid. I could empathize with a character who is judged for not feeling the intense range of emotions that are expected out of teenagers, because I felt a lot of pressure to feel and act this way when I was a teenager. Andrea Seigel's writing is crisp and enjoyable, as it manages to forego the overdramatic prose that seems to be in a lot of teen fiction. This is probably one of the only coming-of-age stories I have ever enjoyed, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially anyone with a large family who understands the dynamics of getting a ton of people together with nothing in common except for a last name. ( )

The Kid Table is a window into family dynamics over the course of one year at five various holiday and celebratory gatherings. The "kids" (or cousins) relegated to the kid table are all (but one) in high school or college, and are all only children. It is by turns charming, humorous, and serious, and lets you know that though someone has grown up knowing their cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. what one doesn't know about them, and about yourself, can be a wide field of discovery. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Alright, I'll admit it, a book with mac and cheese on the cover grabs my attention. Sigh...it's a weakness I have grown to accept. My gluttonous desires aside, here's a review of THE KID TABLE by Andrea
Seigel.

The cousins have been sitting at the Kid Table for as long as they can remember. They've had a lot of fun sitting off to the side of the grownups' table over the years. The thing is, most of the "kids" are bordering on being grownups now themselves. Ingrid is a senior in high school, and Brianne is in college. Cricket, Dom, Micah, and Autumn are well on their way to adulthood, too. Only little Katie, not yet in kindergarten, really qualifies as a kid. Yet, here they all sit at each family celebration.

The story begins with the Bar Mitzvah. Uncle Kurt is forty-six, but he's decided that converting to the Jewish faith and having a Bar Mitzvah is the next important milestone in his life. The family has gathered, of course, to show their support.

Somehow, Ingrid has become the center of the conversation at the Kid Table. Brianne, a psychology major, has declared that Ingrid is a psychopath. She is ticking off a list of behaviors she insists verify her diagnosis. Ingrid finds it difficult to defend herself as she listens to Brianne recount the sudden and mysterious deaths of so many of Ingrid's beloved pets over the years. Just because her dog, Long John, died of old age while asleep at the foot of her bed, doesn't make his death her responsibility. Or does it?

As these older "kids" find themselves attending family events like the Bar Mitzvah, Thanksgiving, New Year's Brunch, and more, this cast of cousins reveals all their unique and interesting characteristics. One cousin's anorexia is becoming more apparent, another is most definitely gay, and yet another's changing behavior and dress are crying out for some sort of attention. As Ingrid tells their stories, she battles with her own guilt about possibly being in love with her older cousin's boyfriend.

Author Andrea Seigel brings back many a childhood memory for readers who can recall their own experiences while dining at the Kid Table. These infrequent holiday get-togethers offer cousins a chance to catch up, cause a little mischief, and also reveal the growing pains and stress of getting older and someday living up to family expectations. Quirky characters mixed up in sometimes all-too-real situations make THE KID TABLE a memorable and enjoyable read. ( )