Middle grade is a term that refers to books written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve. In this column, Erica will recommend great books for children in this age group!

Eli Over Easy by Phil Stamper
All available formats here

After a move to New York City and the sudden death of his mother, Eli has been left reeling. His father has become anxious and overprotective, but refuses to talk about his – or Eli’s – grief, instead working long hours. But then he discovers that his mom left behind recipe videos, and the cute boy next door offers to help him learn to cook them – so Eli begins to deal with his grief in his own way, without telling his father. But what’s going to happen when he has no videos left?

I found this to be a really sweet story about learning to have confidence and properly deal with grief and sudden change. Eli was a fantastic and relatable protagonist, the story really resonated and felt like something that could have been (or could be) happening right around the corner, and the included recipes looked amazing.

Check out the book Booklist Reviews called “a gentle, warmhearted story with appealing characters and a clever premise” and PW Reviews praised as a “tender, low-conflict drama [portraying] myriad grieving processes and experiences with sensitivity and care.”