Adventures with Waffles

by Maria Parr, Kate Forrester (Illustrator)

Overview

Lena is Trille’s best friend, even if she is a girl. And there is never an ordinary day when you’ve got a best friend like Lena.

Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it’s coaxing a cow onto a boat or sledding down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill—and sometimes an injury—to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny’s waffles. But when Lena has to move away and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems like nothing will ever be right again. The warmth of friendship and the support of family suffuse this lightly illustrated novel, proving that when times are tough, a little taste of sweetness can make all the difference.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536203660
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/16/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	166,468
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Maria Parr is a writer and high-school teacher. Adventures with Waffles, her debut novel, has been translated into twenty languages and won several awards around the world. Maria Parr lives in Norway with her family.

Guy Puzey began translating Norwegian literature after studying the language at the University of Edinburgh and now works at the university as a researcher and teacher.

Editorial Reviews

For all its emotional resonance, the narrative is never soppy ... this appealing chapter book has a distinctive setting, plenty of humor, and unusual emotional clarity.
—Booklist (starred review)

With simply rendered illustrations that zero in on key elements of the story, Forrester extends the charm of this tale.Filled with both rollicking escapades and poignant moments, Parr's notable tale portrays a young boy's heartfelt appreciation of family and friends.
—Kirkus Reviews

Recommended for public and school libraries, this will be useful as supplementary material in units about day-to-day life in another country.
—School Library Journal

A playful yet sweet story in the tradition of E. Nesbit’s The Treasure Seekers, this well-observed novel nimbly explores the balance of friendships and the fear and longing that hides beneath the most prickly personalities as it celebrates old-school scrapes and the rewards of mutual best friendship.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Heartfelt and humorous.
—Publishers Weekly

Strongly plotted, with larger changes in the lives of the families woven into Trille’s smaller-scope story.
—The Horn Book

From the Publisher

03/16/2015
This heartfelt and humorous debut novel comes to the U.S. having received award attention abroad and spawned a television show in the author’s native Norway. Trille considers his classmate Lena his best friend (“There isn’t really any such thing as an ordinary day when you’ve got a... friend like Lena”), but she’s too free-spirited to think of their relationship in those terms. The episodic novel follows the friends as they make mischief together—playing Christmas music in June for money on the street, for example, or pretending they are spies while riding on Trille’s grandfather’s moped. “You and Lena never do the same thing twice,” exclaims Trille’s father after the busking incident. “You only come up with more insanity!” Trille and Lena’s warm friendship recalls that of Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi and Tommy, though Parr does engage in serious issues, too. Lena’s hunt for a father (her mother is her only family) often has Trille considering his own close-knit family, and the loss of Trille’s grandmother and his shared grief with his grandfather are tenderly and authentically treated. Forrester’s handsome b&w silhouette-style images open each brief chapter. Ages 7–9. (May)

Publishers Weekly

03/01/2015
Gr 3–5—In this delightful Norwegian import, two friends, a boy nicknamed Trille and his best friend, Lena, get into some hair-raising, frequently hilarious, and, sometimes, injury-inducing escapades over the course of a year. Narrated by Trille in a realistically childlike, first-person voice, the novel is fresh and fast-paced. While readers will chuckle at the friends' adventures—and marvel at their chutzpah—their mouths will also water at the frequency with which waffles, clearly a popular Norwegian treat, figure into the story. Children will relate to Trille's anxiety about whether he is Lena's best pal, a worry extinguished in a final, harrowing episode that, fortunately, ends well. Silhouettes, featured on the charming cover, also highlight chapter openings and provide a cozy, friendly feel. Readers may occasionally be put off by Lena's portrayal as too proud, stubborn, and reckless for her own good, but they'll appreciate her resourcefulness and strength of character anyway. Purchasers should note some religious overtones and Christian references. VERDICT Recommended for public and school libraries, this will be useful as supplementary material in units about day-to-day life in another country.—Carol Goldman, Queens Library, NY

School Library Journal

Luke Daniels zestfully narrates a story of the good-natured friendship between 9-year-old Trille Integard and his neighbor, Lena Lidd, Norway's answer to Pippi Longstocking. Daniels renders Trille as hesitant and introspective while Lena is a sometimes-unpredictable risk taker who is often rescued by her stalwart friend. In addition to skillfully capturing the kids, Daniels deftly portrays adults, especially enthusiastic Grandad as he and his young charges sail on the fjords. Each gorgeous description of Mathildewick Cove and the many—sometimes dangerous—adventures of the pair are relayed with gusto. Most thrilling is the kids’ re-creation of Noah's Ark on Uncle Tron's small boat. Daniels's vivid description puts listeners on board with the reluctant animals. A gem of a listen for all ages. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

MAY 2015 - AudioFile

2015-02-16
Next-door neighbors in a small Norwegian town share mishaps and mischief.Spanning a year in their lives, this lively tale details the escapades of Trille and his neighbor, Lena. Through the voice of pragmatic 9-year-old Trille, Parr deftly portrays her narrator's earnestness and Lena's insouciance as together the friends carry out their schemes with often humorous and occasionally regrettable results. Though they live in quiet Mathildewick Cove, the friends' dynamic imaginations lead to several exhilarating—and a few precarious—escapades, which range from seafaring ventures to a mountainside helicopter rescue. Amid these antics, Parr subtly reveals Trille's and Lena's innermost worries. Although Trille considers the irrepressible Lena his best friend, he wonders whether she reciprocates those feelings. And beneath Lena's vibrant exterior, she longs for a father, a dilemma that she attempts to resolve in her indefatigable, quirky fashion. Through several well-nuanced characters, Parr delineates Trille's extended family support and reveals the familial closeness that Trille so cherishes. Trille's relationships with his grandfather and his beloved "Auntie Granny" celebrate these multigenerational connections. With simply rendered illustrations that zero in on key elements of the story, Forrester extends the charm of this tale.Filled with both rollicking escapades and poignant moments, Parr's notable tale portrays a young boy's heartfelt appreciation of family and friends. (Fiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews