I love Phil Stamper's books and I'm so happy to see he's adding more middle grade books to his name.

In Eli Over Easy, we meet Eli, who recently lost his mom to COVID. He and his dad don't have the greatest relationship without his mom there to hold them together.

Eli finds some cooking videos his mom recorded and he feels he can be closer to his mom by watching them and trying to cook along with her. By watching them, he begins to open up more with his dad and their relationship gets stronger as a result.

There have been plenty of adult books with COVID mentioned, mostly revolving around the lockdown. This is the first book I've read where a main character has lost someone they love to COVID. I especially like that it's a book for middle schoolers. That's such a tough age and Eli is a character they can relate to.

There's one thing about this book I really enjoyed and it was the fact that Eli was discovering his own sexuality and feelings too. I absolutely love that Eli and Mathias form a friendship that shows potential to be something more, but it's not the focus of the book. I liked that family and healing are the main focus.

This was a four star read for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children's Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. To can get Eli Over Easy next week, October 3rd.

I got an ARC of this book.

I have not been the biggest Stamper fan up to this point. I found his previous novels lacking something. Eli however was everything I wanted and then some. Eli was relatable. His romance was cute. His story was compelling.

I just adored this book. Everything from the bad egg jokes to the hand holding was amazing. The title was just the tip of the egg joke iceberg. The way that everyone spoke to each other felt so human. It felt good. The jokes were jokes that would be told in my family. The sadness everyone faced felt real. The way they handled it felt real. This was just a book that felt like real life, but in a way that made it good and not depressing.

I loved that Eli was allowed to have two passions. He was allowed to code and encouraged to code. He was eventually allowed to cook and encouraged to cook by those around him. Not being able to cook at 13 felt a little strange. It felt like something that was a bit overbearing. And the amount of money they spent on takeout and their apartment in NYC was not cheap. His dad must have been raking in the money.

The romance was so sweet and so gentle. They were figuring out how to be themselves and how to like someone at the same time. They were learning to navigate their families and learn to say that they were gay for the first time out loud. There weren’t any big sweeping declarations of love or dramatic coming out. It wasn’t about them coming out. It was about them growing up and finding a place. There was no confusion over their sexuality. Them being gay just was. It was a great character fleshing out detail, instead of being a plot. The world needs more stories like that.

Eli Over Easy is such a heartfelt and hilarious story of a grieving family of two learning how to maneuver themselves in a world without a mom and wife. I laughed and my heart ached for Eli and his father. The beautiful relationship between Eli and Mat was so heartwarming, and I think he was detrimental to Eli's healing. This book is perfect for middle grade readers! I definitely plan on implementing this book into our catalogue!

Somehow both emotionally real and not overly heavy, this middle grade contemporary deals with the roller coaster of grief. I appreciated the ways that Eli’s relationships with his father, Mat, and Avery were built and portrayed as imperfect but positive; his interest in both coding and cooking without competition; and his embrace of his new city. I would have appreciated some additional sense of his connections to Minnesota, and perhaps some slightly earlier discussion of Eli’s sexuality, although it did feel very sweet that his coming out was done so casually.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Eli Over Easy, Phil Stamper’s second foray into middle grade, is just as delightful as the first. This story really touched me, and I liked how it touched on grief at the loss of a loved one in such a poignant way. One thing I will note is that this book is very current, in that Eli’s mother died from Covid, and there’s still mentions of Covid precautions being taken. I personally don’t mind, and I think the loss of someone so close to you would mean you’d take these precautions seriously. But I know not everyone is of the same mind about that, or about books mentioning the pandemic at all. And regardless of her cause of death, it does not dilute the overall message.
I really felt for Eli and his current situation, and as much as I could see how his father tried, I saw how both coped with their grief in different ways. I love that Eli was able to find connection to his mother through watching her cooking videos, inspiring him to take up cooking as a hobby. While things are initially strained with his father, this eventually becomes a way they can connect and use these recipes to heal, while still keeping a part of her alive.
And even while he’s going through a lot at home, I liked seeing him continue to nurture existing friendships and form new ones. His developing friendship with boy-next-door, Mat, was particularly sweet, especially as Mat has also dealt with grief and loss.
This book is on the shorter side, but absolutely packs a punch. While there are some difficult moments, it’s nonetheless an engrossing read, and I was satisfied with how it all came together. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a heartfelt middle grade contemporary about coming of age and reckoning with grief and loss.

I enjoyed this book. Eli was a relatable character and has realistic reactions and feelings did to grief of losing his mom to COVID. The story felt timely in that regard. The recipes were fun and served as a great way for him to remain close to his mom after her passing. Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advance copy.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Phil Stamper and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Life has been really hard on Eli the last few months. He moved to NYC and left behind all his friends.. Not only has he not been able to make any new friends, his mom dies suddenly leaving his world shattered. He wants to talk about his Mom, but his dad always changes the subject to something else.
Then, Eli comes across cooking instructional videos that his mom had recorded revealing her dream of becoming a famous chef. Eli decides to honor her by cooking through all of her videos.. The only problem? Eli is not a big cook. Will Eli be able to honor and remember his mom?

An important story about grief and how we all grieve differently. This story would be good for middle school aged students!

Phil Stamper knows how to find heart in his middle grade work that shines through. While most of this story happens in a small New York neighborhood it feels so much larger. A loss of a parent and finding out what family looks like when someone is gone— for both parent and child. We see Eli build a connection with his mom through recorded videos, and also discover what the future may look like with him and his dad and a new friend who may become something more.

This book was super cute! I loved the story and the main character was really likeable. The plot was cute, a gay boy trying to reconnect with his mother through cooking. Definitely a great read!

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!! I flew through Eli Over Easy so quickly, it just had such a grip on me. The story follows Eli, a thirteen year old kid a few months after his mom died. When he finds secret videos she made of her cooking different recipes he gets inspired to start learning how to cook to feel closer to her. With the help of a new boy next door he spends his summer trying new things in the kitchen, opening up to his dad, and discovering new things about himself.

This was just so precious. I absolutely loved Eli as the main character. He was so passionate about coding and also learning how to cook. I loved the scenes of him trying different recipes, making mistakes, and learning how to improve for next time. Phil Stamper’s descriptions of the food had me wanting to make every single thing mentioned.

Eli’s friendship with Mat, the boy next door, was also such a lovely part of the book. It was so nice seeing them get to know one another, connect over their grief and the difficult things they’re experiencing, and also open up about their sexuality. Scenes of them being able to walk through New York City, go past Stonewall, and eat ice cream while looking at pride flags fluttering in the breeze were so sweet and powerful at the same time.

While the scenes of Eli and his dad not being on the same page when it came to him cooking or how they were dealing with their grief could be difficult to read, it made it very rewarding to see once they finally opened up to one another and figured out a way forward together. Overall I just loved everything about this book. I really hope that Phil Stamper continues to write queer middle grade books. Definitely check this one out!

Thank you, NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books and Phil Stamper for providing me with an eARC of Eli Over Easy.

This is a very very easy read. It disappeared from me. This rounded out about three middle-grade books for this month but this was the only contemporary story. It is a fantastic middle-grade read. If you are coming into it expecting more than a middle-grade story then you will be a little disappointed.

This story absolutely role models behaviour and language for a younger audience. It is also like a grief and relationships guide for tweens with the addition of a cooking manual. Of course, when something is remodelling behaviour it often doesn't come across as genuine or realistic dialogue/behaviour for some of us old and bitter people in the world 😅😅😅. But I believe in the purpose of books teaching its audience, not just entertaining us.

This is a super cute, fun, emotional read that is just a simple plot of dealing with loss and change in our lives. It is under 300 pages and I doubt you will regret reading it if you do pick it up.

Eli and his family left their small town in Minnesota to move to New York City, ready for a fresh start. But once they get there, his mom dies unexpectedly. Now, Eli is stuck without friends and family, struggling with his grief. What makes matters worse is that his dad won't even talk about his mom, leaving Eli feeling lonelier than ever.

When Eli discovers some cooking videos that his mom made before passing away, highlighting her love of cooking. In order to feel closer to his mom, Eli decides to start cooking. With the help of his new neighbor friend, Mathias, he embarks on a summer of cooking. A summer of cooking that just might help him and his dad figure out how to move forward with their grief. And show them that they might just have a community in New York after all.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Eli Over Easy by Phil Stamper to review! This is Stamper's second middle grade novel, and he just has a knack for writing that voice. Where his other middle grade is a bit more lighthearted, this story focuses a lot on the different ways that people deal with their grief.

Having stories like this for middle grade readers is so important because it's important to see that grief is different for everyone. Eli wants to remember his mom by talking about her, by making her favorite meals, by just cooking in general. Meanwhile, his dad just wants to forget, to hide their sadness from the rest of the world. Being able to see how they both end up working together to move forward without someone they loved so much is such a beautiful story.

I also appreciated how Eli's sexuality isn't necessarily a huge part of the story. Yes, he talks about crushes with Mat, and they have a sweet conversation about it. But it feels normal; it doesn't feel like an earth shattering revelation. Sometimes, we get so focused on that in YA and middle grade that we forget that for some people, their sexuality isn't some big fanfare.

The characters were also well developed. I loved the way Eli and Mat's friendship blossomed, and that they were both able to be there for each other in difficult times. While I wasn't a fan of the COVID references (I still think it's too soon for that to be in fiction), this was a story I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end.

All in all, if you're looking for a heartwarming, heartfelt story about grief and how to move on, definitely pick this one up!

A boy grieving the loss of his mom, stuck in a NY apartment while his anxious dad is at work. He meets his neighbor’s grandson and starts making his mom’s old recipes to feel closer to her. Beautiful, heartwarming, authentic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced copy of this book. Sweet and heartbreaking all at once, this book gives us a glimpse into the life of a queer kid who's grappling with how to deal with the loss of a parent.

Eli and his dad have suffered a loss, and they are trying to navigate life in NYC as they come to terms with losing their wife and mother. Eli's overprotective dad makes that hard, but when he finds an outlet in cooking, he also gets closer to his mom and dealing with her death. This is an easy and charming book that gives a peek into NYC and its lifestyle while also giving students who are gay a character to relate to as Eli comes out to himself and his family.

“Healing is…definitely not a straight line.”
🥚
Eli and his parents moved to NYC, far from his extended family and old life in Minnesota. A few months ago his mom died suddenly, leaving a giant hole in their family. Eli’s dad wants to ignore the grief and hide away from life, but when Eli finds YouTube videos of his mom cooking, he wants to do more of that. When his neighbor, Mrs. Martinez, has her grandson for the summer, Mat and Eli get closer throughout the summer as Eli cooks and takes a coding workshop. As the summer comes to a close, can Eli and his dad find a way to heal?
🍳
This was a beautiful MG book by @stampepk and such an important one in our post-COVID world. I loved Eli from the beginning and watching him heal and grow throughout the novel was so sweet and will help so many kids.
This title releases October 3.

CW: anxiety, COVID-related death, parental death (discussed), grief, cyberbullying

ELI OVER EASY is a sweet and delightful Queer Coming-of-Age (and reaching for emotional maturity in the face of familial grief plus adolescence) that aims right at the cusp of middle grade and YA [the protagonist is thirteen]. While Eli and his dad grieve the loss of his mom months ago, his neighbor/new friend Mat experiences the heartache of his parents' divorce and moving away from his dad, widowed grandmother, and friends.

Eli is enrolled in an online Summer coding academy when he synchronistically discovers that his late mother, a test kitchen chef, made a series of unbroadcast YouTube cooking guide videos, and grasps this lifeline to somehow feel closer to her. Soon he finds he is enjoying cooking and baking, even the mistakes, and decides to interweave that with his coding classes. Right along, cooking practice is also interweaving a friendship with Mat.

I couldn't help but delight in the characters, including Eli's 14-year-old cousin, who has her own popular gaming stream, and Mat's quietly Ally grandmother. ELI OVER EASY is a heartwarming, inspiring, read [whether you're in early adolescence, or far, far, beyond😊].

This book is so lovely. Eli is such a relatable young person, and the way he deals with grief for his mother through her cooking videos is beautiful. The narrative skillfully weaves together Eli’s healing journey, his progress in learning to code and cooking, and his relationships with his dad, cousin, and new friend Mat.

I’d recommend this book to young people dealing with change or loss of any kind. This book tackles big ideas without feeling heavy, and will be a powerful resource to help young folks going through upheaval feel less alone.

Thanks Harper Collins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. MG isn’t my favorite when it comes to books but Phil Stamper always writes such heartwarming stories that I had to check this one out! Eli recently lost his mother and ever since his dad’s been really over protective. They moved to New York when is mom was still alive but he’s hardly seen any of it. Then he finds some old cooking videos of his mom’s so he decides to recreate some of the recipes. But with his dads overprotectiveness he’ll have to lie in order to make it happen. He also need the help of the cute neighbor boy and his grandma. Can he keep things secret from his dad? Is he developing a connection to neighbor boy Mat? Will his family stay in New York? I loved Eli’s journey of self-discovery in the book! As well as his connection to his mother and how the book discusses that they’re good and not so good things that can come from reliving the past. I enjoyed that Eli finds a way for his hobby of cooking to mesh with coding. I enjoyed the relationship between Mat and Eli as well as Eli’s connection to his cousin! It’s sweet, charming, full of grief, loss, love, and heart! Can’t wait to read it again!

This book reminds me of "Lasagna Means I Love You" by Kate O'Shaughnessy, another 2023 gem. Both books feature protagonists dealing with the loss of a parental figure through a newfound passion for cooking. Both books include recipes throughout the text and take place in New York City.

"Lasagna" felt like a stronger story to me: there was a broader but better-developed cast of characters. The upside to this book is that the characters, while less lifelike, are strongly-written enough to elicit empathy and support from the reader.

All in all, I enjoyed this book to the point that I'd enthusiastically recommend it to library patrons, even if I can't help comparing it to another story.