Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler | Teen Ink

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler MAG

February 4, 2009
By Jeni Doughan BRONZE, Wyckoff, New Jersey
Jeni Doughan BRONZE, Wyckoff, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

“I have some rules about books,” says Eliot, a character in Scrambled Eggs at Midnight. “No books with neon or metallic printing on the cover. No books with three-word titles that seem constructed by some publishing rubric … And especially nothing that has a cutout on the cover, so that you get, like, a double cover when you lift the real cover.” If Eliot just insulted one of your favor­ite books, don’t be discouraged. I might be wary to take the advice of a boy with green lips too, but Scrambled Eggs at Midnight is everything he promises and more.

This romantic comedy follows Eliot and Cal and the events that ensue as they meet, fall in love and try not to fall apart. The first time I read it, I was smiling constantly. Now, after finishing the book for a fourth time, it’s still there! With its single cover, four-word title, and unusual characters, Scrambled Eggs at Midnight is so entertaining you’ll be dying to read it again.

Eliot is sweet and considerate, but relatively friendless, at his family-run weight loss summer camp that promises help getting “thin with Christ.” Heading the operation is Eliot’s crazy father, a.k.a. “The Dad,” who frequently cites Eliot’s minor misdemeanors as sins because “everything became a sin in 1998.” If that isn’t bad enough, his mother has slowly withdrawn from the entrepreneurial lifestyle “The Dad” has chosen. Eliot’s life is spiraling downward faster than the shell of one of his exploded fireworks – until he meets Cal.

With her pale skin, green eyes, and fiery red hair, Calliope captures Eliot’s heart in one flash of her bright white teeth. She too comes from a dysfunctional family. She acts as the parent, even filing taxes, while her mother, Dolores, plays dress-up as a “wench,” dragging Cal across the country to various Renaissance Faires. Her mother is always looking for the next big thing and fails to notice that Cal misses the father they left behind in Texas. Cal can only tolerate her mother’s nomadic lifestyle for so long.

When Cal’s mom takes her on their next big adventure, fate brings our dynamic duo together. Though it feels like they have always known each other, this is no fairy tale. Trouble is always on the horizon, and Cal has to keep an eye on her aloof mother, who has never understood her desire to stay in one place.

Barkley and Hepler pen charming and relatable characters that pop off the pages of their first novel. Switching perspectives between Eliot and Cal with every chapter, this book is quirky and eccentric. Dialogue, especially between the two, is full of snappy retorts and exciting punch lines so intelligent you’ll wish you’d thought of them. But, in all seriousness, underneath the jokes and laughs, Scrambled Eggs is a heartwarming romance that I have reread and relentlessly recommended to everyone.

This book will have you laughing out loud, rooting for Eliot and Cal, and really, truly wondering, what would Jesus eat?


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This article has 23 comments.


Kimiko said...
on Aug. 18 2011 at 6:37 pm
I'm psyched to get this book and read it all because of your review! Your good at pursuaying someone.

paige14 GOLD said...
on Jul. 19 2011 at 6:03 pm
paige14 GOLD, Portsmouth, Ohio
17 articles 0 photos 50 comments

Favorite Quote:
Say what you need to say--John Mayer

A great review for a wonderful book. You manage to capture the fun spirit of the book as well as the turmoil that brings these two characters together.

on Oct. 27 2010 at 9:53 pm
Rosemary-Martin BRONZE, Haines, Alaska
1 article 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"What you do speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say" -Emerson

Cool! Hedgehogs are generally amazing. Even though from what I understand the book is titled after a metaphor of a hedgehog...But still...

on Oct. 27 2010 at 4:53 pm
nefariouslyme, Richland, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 72 comments
Yeah, my friend Jack bought it and let me read the flap. I get to borrow it once our English teacher is done with it. It's supposed to be amazing.

on Oct. 27 2010 at 2:05 pm
Rosemary-Martin BRONZE, Haines, Alaska
1 article 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"What you do speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say" -Emerson

Elegance of a Hedgehog 

NO WAY. I just wrote a story about hedgehogs! (It's on here, under my name...)  I HAVE to read this book! :) 


on Oct. 27 2010 at 11:57 am
nefariouslyme, Richland, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 72 comments
I just added it to my list, too. It's right up there with A Prayer for Owen MeanyLamb and The Elegance of a Hedgehog.

L.T.A SILVER said...
on Jul. 31 2010 at 12:52 pm
L.T.A SILVER, Hammond, Indiana
7 articles 1 photo 75 comments

Favorite Quote:
All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it.-- Samuel Butler

totally agree with u. scrambled eggs at midnightis an awesome book

Eilatan GOLD said...
on Jul. 9 2010 at 8:34 pm
Eilatan GOLD, Old Greenwich, Connecticut
11 articles 1 photo 307 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Nobody is normal. Everybody in the world is a weirdo freak. Except you, which makes you a weirdo freak."

I'm writing this on my library list! great review...how can i not?

on Apr. 12 2010 at 3:25 pm
awesomeaugust GOLD, Boston, Massachusetts
10 articles 0 photos 176 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground&quot;<br /> ~Theordore Roosevelt

I'll have to go get this from the library! What a wonderfully done review and it portrayed your sincere love for this book. I've just added it as one of my favorites- the first review!

on Apr. 12 2010 at 2:03 pm
S-Chique00 GOLD, Dundalk, Other
10 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
Rocky Balboa: You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain&#039;t how hard you hit; it&#039;s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That&#039;s how winning is done.

professional and genuine review; great job! i'm heading straight for the library!

on Mar. 26 2010 at 2:47 pm
GracieLynn BRONZE, Chehalis, Washington
3 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life isn&#039;t about the breaths we take, it&#039;s about the moments that take our breath away.&quot; -Unknown

Loved the review:)

trblue GOLD said...
on Feb. 8 2010 at 12:34 pm
trblue GOLD, Richmond, Virginia
14 articles 7 photos 141 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Too often we lose sight of life&#039;s simple pleasures. Remember, when someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles in your face to frown. It only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and slap that mother@#?!&amp;* upside the head. &quot;

thay have this book at the school lib. checked it out, but did not read it. im reading a lot right not. when i go back to school. it been snowing like for 2 wk so time will tell. but im gone read this book.

on Feb. 5 2010 at 6:35 pm
goddess_of_the_moon_123 SILVER, Beaverdam, Virginia
5 articles 0 photos 70 comments

Favorite Quote:
&#039;To unpath&#039;d waters, undream&#039;d shores&#039; ~ William Shakespeare, A Winter&#039;s Tale

Loved the review! Can't wait to read this-- thanks!

on Dec. 23 2009 at 6:31 pm
writergirl22 SILVER, In, New York
6 articles 0 photos 66 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Never frown. You never know who&#039;s falling in love with your smile.&quot; -Anounymous

im so happy you did a review for this book!

its one of my all-time favorites!

on Dec. 23 2009 at 8:58 am
mellow_melon PLATINUM, Jefferson, Maryland
41 articles 14 photos 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but my the number of moments that take our breath away.&quot;

this was a GREAT book. the best one ive read in a while! the review is really well written too, good job!

Avalynn BRONZE said...
on Nov. 9 2009 at 5:42 pm
Avalynn BRONZE, Monrovia, California
4 articles 0 photos 26 comments
oooh, this is a great review- im gonna go searching for this book!!!

on Sep. 26 2009 at 12:26 pm
awesomeaugust GOLD, Boston, Massachusetts
10 articles 0 photos 176 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground&quot;<br /> ~Theordore Roosevelt

great review! one of the best i've read. I'll have to fun to library- thanks i've been looking for a god read

on May. 29 2009 at 6:18 pm
riter_wanab BRONZE, Hartsville, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 4 comments
I LOOOOVED this book it was so good.

on Mar. 31 2009 at 12:49 am
Wow!!! Your review was really well written and it makes me really want to reade the book!!! I have never even heard of it before, but it sounds really interesting and I really want to read it now.

on Mar. 24 2009 at 8:34 pm
ElizabethS. PLATINUM, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
32 articles 0 photos 16 comments
That was spectacular!! I read that book several months ago, and I loved it, so did my sister. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story with everyone else.