Love Eli Over Easy? Readers share 100 books like Eli Over Easy...

By Phil Stamper,

Here are 100 books that Eli Over Easy fans have personally recommended if you like Eli Over Easy. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Honestly Elliott

Laura Anne Bird Author Of Marvelous Jackson

From my list on contemporary middle grade novels for boys who love to bake.

Why am I passionate about this?

True confession: Iā€™m not a baker, but I love it when other people bake. Itā€™s riveting to watch how they transform the humblest of ingredients into desserts that are beautiful and delicious. I get super excited to see this creative process unfold, which is why I adore The Great British Baking Show and other competitive reality baking programs. They inspired me to write Marvelous Jackson because my main character desperately wants to snag a coveted audition spot on The Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship. He relishes the frenetic energy and noise of a kitchen packed with ambitious and talented peopleā€”just like I do!

Laura's book list on contemporary middle grade novels for boys who love to bake

Laura Anne Bird Why did Laura love this book?

McDunn covers a lot of ground in her heartwarming novel about Elliott, an aspiring young cook who finds refuge in the kitchen. Elliott struggles with ADHD, his best friend has moved away, and his dad and stepmom are getting ready to welcome their new baby. Everything feels chaotic and difficultā€”and it only gets worse when Elliott has to team up with the popular and wicked-smart Maribel for a huge school project.

Sure, there are some pretty big obstacles for Elliott to overcome in Honestly Elliott, but I love that his voice is unwavering and brave, and his journey from sesame noodles to ā€œdesperation piesā€ (cool historical reference alert!) is nothing short of delightful. 

By Gillian McDunn,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Honestly Elliott as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Schneider Family Book Award: Best Middle Grade Honor Book!

Highly-acclaimed author of Caterpillar Summer, Gillian McDunn explores boyhood in a funny, big-hearted story about a kid trying to find the best way to be his best self.

Elliott isn't sure where he fits in. Ever since his best friend moved away and his dad and stepmom announced the arrival of their new baby, he's been feeling invisible. Plus his dad just doesn't seem to understand what having ADHD really feels like, or why cooking is the one activity where Elliott's mind clicks into place.

When he's paired with the superā€¦


Book cover of The Doughnut Fix

Laura Anne Bird Author Of Marvelous Jackson

From my list on contemporary middle grade novels for boys who love to bake.

Why am I passionate about this?

True confession: Iā€™m not a baker, but I love it when other people bake. Itā€™s riveting to watch how they transform the humblest of ingredients into desserts that are beautiful and delicious. I get super excited to see this creative process unfold, which is why I adore The Great British Baking Show and other competitive reality baking programs. They inspired me to write Marvelous Jackson because my main character desperately wants to snag a coveted audition spot on The Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship. He relishes the frenetic energy and noise of a kitchen packed with ambitious and talented peopleā€”just like I do!

Laura's book list on contemporary middle grade novels for boys who love to bake

Laura Anne Bird Why did Laura love this book?

Janowitzā€™s romp of a story centers on twelve-year-old Tristan, who loves reading cookbooks and making desserts. Life is sweetā€”until Tristanā€™s parents announce theyā€™re leaving New York City and moving to the middle of nowhere. When he learns there are zero bakeries in his new town, Tristan pledges to bring back the famous Petersville chocolate cream doughnut, which sets him on an unexpected and entertaining adventure. He learns how to craft a business plan, buy ingredients in bulk, and manage demanding customers.

Spoiler alert number one: l like that even though Tristan nails the renowned doughnut, he puts his own delicious spin on things. Spoiler alert number two: this book will make you very hungry. Prepare accordingly.

By Jessie Janowitz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Doughnut Fix as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Superfudge meets The Lemonade War in this funny, heartwarming book about change, adventure, family, and of course, doughnuts.
Tristan isn't Gifted or Talented like his sister Jeanine, and he's always been okay with that because he can make a perfect chocolate chip cookie and he lives in the greatest city in the world. But his life takes a turn for the worse when his parents decide to move to middle-of-nowhere Petersville-a town with one street and no restaurants. It's like suddenly they're supposed to be this other family, one that can survive without bagels and movie theaters.
His suspicions aboutā€¦


Book cover of Cookies & Milk

Laura Anne Bird Author Of Marvelous Jackson

From my list on contemporary middle grade novels for boys who love to bake.

Why am I passionate about this?

True confession: Iā€™m not a baker, but I love it when other people bake. Itā€™s riveting to watch how they transform the humblest of ingredients into desserts that are beautiful and delicious. I get super excited to see this creative process unfold, which is why I adore The Great British Baking Show and other competitive reality baking programs. They inspired me to write Marvelous Jackson because my main character desperately wants to snag a coveted audition spot on The Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship. He relishes the frenetic energy and noise of a kitchen packed with ambitious and talented peopleā€”just like I do!

Laura's book list on contemporary middle grade novels for boys who love to bake

Laura Anne Bird Why did Laura love this book?

Eleven-year-old Ellis is the hapless, harmonica-playing main character of Amos' book. Heā€™s spending summer vacation with his newly divorced dad, whoā€™s laser-focused on his goal of opening a brand-new cookie shop in Hollywood. Ellis gets roped into helping him, and shenanigans ensue, many of them involving chocolate chips, bags of sugar, and industrial-size mixers.

I love that Amos loosely based his debut on his own childhood in the 1970s when he helped his fatherā€”Wally ā€œFamousā€ Amos (perhaps youā€™ve heard of him?)ā€”open a cookie shop on Sunset Boulevard. Woven throughout Ellisā€™s story are spunky neighbors, Blues music, Black pride, and lessons celebrating the value of hard work. These components add depth to Amosā€™s otherwise fizzy story. 

By Shawn Amos,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cookies & Milk as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORKā€”YOUTH/TEENS!

It's a summer of family, friendship, and fun fiascos in this acclaimed novel that's as irresistible as a fresh-baked cookie. 

Ellis Bailey Johnson has the summertime blues. Instead of hanging out with friends, listening to music, and playing his harmonica, Ellis has to help bring his dadā€™s latest farfetched, sure-to-fail idea to life: open the worldā€™s first chocolate chip cookie store.

They have six weeks to perfect their recipe, get a run-down A-frame storefront on Hollywoodā€™s Sunset Boulevard into tip-top shape, and bring in customers. But nothing goes according toā€¦


If you love Eli Over Easy...

Ad

Book cover of Marvelous Jackson

Marvelous Jackson by Laura Anne Bird,

Since losing his mom, thirteen-year-old Jack Wilson has spent most of his time seeing just how much trouble he can get away with so that he feels like a winner at something. But he takes his mischief too far and is faced with the possibility of unbearable consequences. Heā€¦

Book cover of Fearless: In the Mix

Laura Anne Bird Author Of Marvelous Jackson

From my list on contemporary middle grade novels for boys who love to bake.

Why am I passionate about this?

True confession: Iā€™m not a baker, but I love it when other people bake. Itā€™s riveting to watch how they transform the humblest of ingredients into desserts that are beautiful and delicious. I get super excited to see this creative process unfold, which is why I adore The Great British Baking Show and other competitive reality baking programs. They inspired me to write Marvelous Jackson because my main character desperately wants to snag a coveted audition spot on The Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship. He relishes the frenetic energy and noise of a kitchen packed with ambitious and talented peopleā€”just like I do!

Laura's book list on contemporary middle grade novels for boys who love to bake

Laura Anne Bird Why did Laura love this book?

Thirteen-year-old Hudson stars on Broadway, but baking is his true passion. Heā€™s ecstatic when he receives an invitation to participate in the Great American Baking competitionā€”until he finds out what his assignment will be. He must make a cupcake with flavors that reflect his familyā€™s ethnic background, and he knows nothing about Indian spices. (Cue the theatrics!)

Hudsonā€™s multi-talented grandmother comes to the rescue, introducing him to the delights of cardamom, saffron, mango, and pistachio extract while his actor friends cheer him on. I love that one of the co-authors of Fearless: In the Mix is a Broadway star herself. (Did someone say Hamilton?) Her experiences certainly lend dramatic flair to this novel, perfect for older middle-grade readers. 

By Mandy Gonzalez, Sushil Preet K. Cheema,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fearless as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Better Nate than Ever meets Love Sugar Magic in this ā€œdelectableā€ (Kirkus Reviews) third novel in the Fearless middle grade series from Hamilton and Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez about a young thespian who feels caught between his love of baking and theatre.

Twelve-year-old Hudson Patel has two great loves: Broadway and baking! In addition to giving his all to his role in the hit show Our Time, Hudson takes pride in keeping his castmates and fellow Fearless Squad members well-fed with all the delicious treats he creates.

When the call comes in for a big baking showā€”with the winner receivingā€¦


Book cover of Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem

Jennice Vilhauer Author Of Think Forward to Thrive: How to Use the Mind's Power of Anticipation to Transcend Your Past and Transform Your Life

From my list on improving your life.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a psychologist in Los Angeles specializing in helping people identify their blind spots and break the cycles of their past by retraining their mindset about the future. I developed a new treatment called Future Directed Therapy and Iā€™ve been helping people build better lives for over 15 years. Iā€™m very passionate about empowering my clients to find practical skills and tools for taking charge of their emotional health and achieving the things they want in life. I recommend these books to my clients on a regular basis and find inspiration in them for my own blog Living Forward which I write as a featured expert for Psychology Today

Jennice's book list on improving your life

Jennice Vilhauer Why did Jennice love this book?

I recommend this book to many of my clients because you create your life based on your perceived self-concept about who you are in the world. If you donā€™t feel good about who you are itā€™s hard to build a good life. This book is great because it applies the well-researched principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy to overcoming the inner critic and building a positive view of oneā€™s self, creating the much-needed platform for transforming your life.

By Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Self-Esteem as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Circumstances and status can affect self-esteem-many factors can contribute to the way we see ourselves-but the one contributing factor that all people who struggle with low self-esteem have in common is our thoughts. Of course we all have a better chance of feeling good about ourselves when things are going well, but it's really our interpretation of our circumstances that can cause trouble, regardless of what they are.

This revised and updated fourth edition of the best-selling Self-Esteem uses proven-effective methods of CBT and relevant components of ACT to help you raise low self-esteem by working on the way youā€¦


Book cover of Activate Your Life: Using Acceptance and Mindfulness to Build a Life That Is Rich, Fulfilling and Fun

Emma Chapman Author Of First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time

From my list on escape from the darn kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an astrophysicist. I am a mother. I am an author. I am a cleaner of dishes, a cooker of meals. I am a daughter, a friend on the end of the phone, a reader of bedtime stories, and the one who hugs away the tears and kisses it better. But I am also just me. Emma. And the books I read are always to escape or understand the internal fight I have between identities and the feeling that pursuing one is failing all the others. Lift yourself above it all, breathe, and read yourself into a different world.

Emma's book list on escape from the darn kids

Emma Chapman Why did Emma love this book?

This is the first self-help book I have ever read, and I read it in 2019. I have always been honest about my battle with my mental health, from anxiety to depression. This book was recommended to me by an excellent expert in the field and it changed my view of my relationship with mental health as a battle. It sounds corny putting it into words but when you learn to accept the different parts of your personality and how they help and protect you, then it is easier to say ā€œnot right now, I need to make dinner, not crawl into bedā€. The analogy that stuck with me was pulling a rope opposed by a character representing anxiety on the other side, and a pit in the middle. You can pull and pull, trying to avoid the pit, or you canā€¦ let go of the rope and accept thatā€¦

By Joe Oliver, Jon Hill, Eric Morris

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Activate Your Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ACTivate Your Life focuses on helping people to be more open, connected and engaged with their lives, demonstrating how Acceptance Commitment Therapy can be used to tackle a range of problems such as low self-esteem, anxiety, anger and depression, as well as providing skills for life enhancement and self-development.

Readers are encouraged to consider what matters to them and will learn techniques to set life directions based on meaningful values. Readers will also be introduced to mindfulness and learn how to use it in everyday life to connect with their actions, experiences and the people around them. The ACT approachā€¦


Book cover of The Contender

Jonathan Starke Author Of You've Got Something Coming

From my list on boxing with tough, vulnerable characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

All these pugilistic narratives touch on people in hardship moving through dark spaces in their lives. I care about people on the fringes. Iā€™ve known many people who have little or nothing. For a lot of my life, Iā€™ve had little. I used to box. When somethingā€™s in your blood, you think about it every day. I canā€™t remember a day I havenā€™t thought about boxing. Once youā€™ve done it, itā€™s hard not to want to go back. You try to just pretend it away, but when itā€™s in you, itā€™s got hold. Because I understand this so well, feel it, have lived it, I absorb these boxing stories in a different kind of way. 

Jonathan's book list on boxing with tough, vulnerable characters

Jonathan Starke Why did Jonathan love this book?

The mantra for this novel could be that the effort matters more than anythingā€”the attempt, the trying. Winning is something, but itā€™s not everything. Brooks, a high-school dropout, has to find his way in a world where his closest friend is dying from drug addiction, his household is broken, and street thugs are after him. Against all odds, if you love something and want it, the pursuit of that dream can help those who chase it with enough intensity to possibly overcome the hardship. When so many boxing stories are written with utter bleakness, there is light here.

By Robert Lipsyte,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Contender as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The breakthrough modern sports novel The Contender shows readers the true meaning of being a hero.

This acclaimed novel by celebrated sportswriter Robert Lipsyte, the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in YA fiction, is the story of a young boxer in Harlem who overcomes hardships and finds hope in the ring on his path to becoming a contender.

Alfred Brooks is scared. Heā€™s a high-school dropout, and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. His best friend is sinking further and further into drug addiction. Some street kids are after him for something he didnā€™tā€¦


Book cover of Nigel and the Moon

Susan Coryell Author Of Kiki's Dream

From my list on that show young children to dream for themselves.

Why am I passionate about this?

My expertise and passion for the theme of childrenā€™s dreams for themselves and how they achieve them began with reading wonderful childrenā€™s picture books to my kids and grandkids when they were very young. After writing one young adult novel and four cozy mysteries for adults, I realize my true calling as a writer is to create books that little readers will not only love but return to again and again to reinforce their own dreams and sense of worth as well as awareness of others. Many picture books dwell on what elders dream for their children rather than what young ones wish for themselves.

Susan's book list on that show young children to dream for themselves

Susan Coryell Why did Susan love this book?

Nigel dreamed large with three goals: to become an astronaut, a dancer, and a superhero, but he was too shy to tell anybodyā€”except for the moon. He also felt his mom and dad would not understand his big dream.

Career week at school finally loosened his lips in a surprising way, which I loved as much as every child reader will.

By Antwan Eady, Gracey Zhang (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Nigel and the Moon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

From debut author Antwan Eady and artist Gracey Zhang comes a glowing tale about the young dreaming big. A perfect story to demonstrate how pride in where we come from can bring a shining confidence.

When Nigel looks up at the moon, his future is bright. He imagines himself as...an astronaut, a dancer, a superhero, too!

Among the stars, he twirls. With pride, his chest swells. And his eyes, they glow. Nigel is the most brilliant body in the sky.

But it's Career Week at school, and Nigel can't find the courage to share his dreams. It's easy to whisperā€¦


Book cover of The Self-Love Experiment: Fifteen Principles for Becoming More Kind, Compassionate, and Accepting of Yourself

Ruby Dhal Author Of Dear Self

From my list on if you want to learn how to love yourself.

Why am I passionate about this?

I embarked on my very first healing journey at the age of 4, after I lost my mother. Through the years, I wanted nothing more than to live a happy life. It wasnā€™t until the age of 21 that I understood the reason for my pain and discomfort ā€“the lack of love that I had for myself. I started writing about my emotions and sharing these pieces on an online blog. Within a few months, my page grew tremendously. I realised then that weā€™re all on various healing journeys, and most of us struggle with self-love, even if we look like weā€™ve got it ā€˜figured outā€™ ā€“ we still struggle. 

Ruby's book list on if you want to learn how to love yourself

Ruby Dhal Why did Ruby love this book?

I really enjoyed reading Shannonā€™s book! There were some really useful tools in this one and although Shannonā€™s self-love journey stemmed from her insecurity in relation to her weight, it is still very applicable to other self-love journeys. The principles that Shannon mentions at the start of her book are life savers, and she is a true beacon of light for those who are struggling with their self-worth. Shannon demonstrates, through her book and her own experiences that changing the way you think about yourself is the key to journeying towards true joy and contentment. 

By Shannon Kaiser,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Self-Love Experiment as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Put a stop to self-sabotage and overcome your fears so that you can gain the confidence you need to reach your goals and become your own best friend.

Too many people seem to believe that they are not allowed to put themselves first or go after their own dreams out of fear of being selfish or sacrificing others' needs. The Self-Love Experiment rectifies this problem. Whether you want to achieve weight loss, land your dream job, find your soul mate, or get out of debt, it all comes back to self-love and accepting yourself first. Shannon Kaiser learned the secretsā€¦


Book cover of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don't Have with People You Don't Like Doing Things You Don't Want to Do

Liz O'Riordan Author Of Under the Knife: Life Lessons from the Operating Theatre

From my list on to help you cope when life throws you a curve-ball.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a breast surgeon whoā€™s had breast cancer three times, Iā€™ve had my share of knocks along the way. A friend once asked me to speak to her nursing colleagues about how I had coped, and I immediately thought of my books. The ones I read on repeat at night to get me through the weekly wobbles. To remind me to have fun and that life is for living. Theyā€™re not too serious, some of them have a lot of swearing (sorry Dad), and everyone Iā€™ve leant them to has thanked me for knowing exactly what was going on inside their head. I hope they do the same for you.

Liz's book list on to help you cope when life throws you a curve-ball

Liz O'Riordan Why did Liz love this book?

Iā€™m a people-pleaser. I canā€™t say ā€˜Noā€™ to anyone and in the past it has destroyed me.

This book reminds us all that we only have a limited amount of time, energy, and money and we should only spend them on things that make us happy and donā€™t annoy us. We need to stop caring what other people think. We canā€™t make everyone like us but we can make them respect us, and there is a way to get off going to your great uncleā€™s 90th birthday without being rude.

Trust me ā€“ this book will change your life.   

By Sarah Knight,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Genius' Cosmopolitan

'The best book I have read recently . . . Absolutely blinding. Read it. Do it.' Daily Mail

The bestselling book everyone is talking about - our favourite anti-guru Sarah Knight reveals the surprising art of caring less and getting more.

Are you stressed out, overbooked and underwhelmed by life? Fed up with pleasing everyone else before you please yourself? Then it's time to stop giving a f**k.

This irreverent and practical book explains how to rid yourself of unwanted obligations, shame, and guilt - and give your f**ks instead to people and things that make you happy.ā€¦


Book cover of Honestly Elliott
Book cover of The Doughnut Fix
Book cover of Cookies & Milk

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,888

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in self esteem, anxiety, and coming of age?

Self Esteem 114 books
Anxiety 216 books
Coming Of Age 1,409 books