Everything On A Waffle [Paperback]

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 everythingincluding lasagnais 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 Waffleis a 2001 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction and Poetry and a 2002 Newbery Honor Book.

Haven't you ever just known something deep in your heart without reason?

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?

Polly Horvathis the author of many books for young people, includingThe Pepins and Their Problems,The Canning SeasonandThe Trolls. Her numerous awards include the Newbery Honor, the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, thlÃ"