Everything on a Waffle

by Polly Horvath

Overview

Polly Horvath's Everything on a Waffle tells the funny, bittersweet story of a young heroine who manages to hold onto hope despite the odds.

Primrose Squarp simply knows her parents did not perish at sea during a terrible storm, but try convincing the other residents of Coal Harbour on that score. For all practical purposes, at least for the time being, Primrose is an orphan, and there's no great clamoring of prospective adopters.

After realizing the impracticality of continuing to pay Miss Perfidy (a mothball-scented elderly lady) an hourly wage to baby-sit her, the town council is able to locate a relative, Uncle Jack, who reluctantly takes Primrose into his care. Primrose does warm up to living with him and in his home, despite the eerie noises resembling a hockey game that haunt her in the night. But true sanctuary can always be found at a restaurant called The Girl in the Swing, where everything—including lasagna—is served on a waffle, and where the proprietor, Miss Bowzer, offers a willing ear, as well as sage advice. Through a mixture of eccentric humor and probing philosophy, author Polly Horvath makes Primrose's search for peace and understanding a most memorable one.

Everything on a Waffle is a 2001 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction and Poetry and a 2002 Newbery Honor Book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312380045
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	04/15/2008
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	145,297
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.65(h) x 0.85(d)
Lexile:	950L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Polly Horvath is the author of many books for young people, including The Pepins and Their Problems, The Canning Season and The Trolls. Her numerous awards include the Newbery Honor, the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature, the Mr. Christie Award, the international White Raven, and the Young Adult Canadian Book of the Year. Horvath grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She attended the Canadian College of Dance in Toronto and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York City. She has taught ballet, waitressed, done temporary typing, and tended babies, but while doing these things she has always also written. Now that her children are in school, she spends the whole day writing, unless she sneaks out to buy groceries, lured away from her desk by the thought of fresh Cheez Whiz. She lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and two daughters.

Reading Group Guide

Questions for Discussion

1. The names Primrose and Perfidy have other meanings. Look up the meanings in a dictionary. Why do you believe the author chose these names? Does your name have another meaning?

2. Primrose includes a recipe in each chapter of her story. Why do you think cooking is so important to her?

3. Why do you think Primrose believes her parents are alive when everyone else in town is convinced they have died?

Editorial Reviews

In [Horvath's] capable hands the dilemma of Primrose Squarp is revealed with hilarity and buoyant good nature. . . . Subtlety and slapstick is a challenging combination; Horvath pulls it off beautifully.” —The Horn Book Magazine, Starred Review

“Horvath delivers another hilariously puckish read with this tale of a (possibly) orphaned girl from a small Canadian fishing village. . . . A laugh-out-loud pleasure from beginning to triumphant end.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“The story is full of subtle humor and wisdom, presented through the eyes of a uniquely appealing young protagonist.” —School Library Journal

“. . . a deeply touching novel about irrational faith.” —Orlando Sentinel

“Delightful. Hilarious. Entertaining. Insightful. These adjectives don't even begin to describe a novel I simply couldn't put down. . . . You'll love it.” —The Syracuse Post-Standard

From the Publisher