Post #1: Everything on a Waffle

This beautiful and snowy Saturday morning seemed like the perfect time to start my Reading Journal blog for LME 518. I looked over the reading list earlier in the week and began collecting a few books to read over the weekend. When I saw that two Newbery Medal or Honor books were part of the required reading, I immediately went to my bookshelf at home to retrieve one I already had. Several years ago, I was helping our elementary school librarian with a evening book fair for students and parents. We were committed to being there until a certain time, but the crowd began to thin as the evening wore on. I picked up an attractive little book from the librarian’s desk and began to read in between visitors. The little book was Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath. I finished a few chapters before the night was over, but left the book in the library. At that point, I was so invested in the book that I felt like I had to finish it, so I ordered it. When it arrived, I finished the book with laughs and smiles. That was many years ago. I remembered how the story began and how it ended, but I had forgotten much of the in-between parts that made the story stick together. So, I was excited to read it again. That’s where my blog begins…with a waffle. Appropriate for a Saturday morning, don’t you think?


Book: Everything on a Waffle
Author: Polly Horvath
Category: Newbery Award Honor Book


I started reading this book early last night and finished before I went to bed. It’s a really quick read, as each chapter draws the reader into the next. It’s hard to put down. I like the way the book is written, from the point of view of precocious Primrose Squarp. Her seven-month ordeal of bouncing from guardian to guardian while her parents are lost at sea is relayed in the “voice” of this 11-year old little girl. As I was reading the book, I felt like I was just reading journal entries made by Primrose as she struggled along. I also enjoyed the little recipes that were tucked at the back of each chapter. Each recipe was referenced in the chapter before and tied into the story. The book was funny, as ridiculous stories unfolded. The characters were described with precise physical detail and easy to envision. I really liked the fact that this book had a happy ending. I wanted to believe with Primrose all along that her parents were truly stranded on an island and would return someday. I cheered her on as she kept asking everyone she met, “Haven’t you ever believed something just because you knew it was true?” But, I too was surprised, along with everyone in Coal Harbour, when her parents came sailing back into town. I think I enjoyed this book so much because the setting was a sleepy little town, where everyone knows everyone else. That sounds exactly like Albany, where I grew up and still live. I have known real characters like Miss Perfidy, the uptight prude. I have endured stories from Albany’s version of Miss Honeycut, who feels compelled to inject a little class and culture into the surroundings with endless stories of days gone by. I sympathized with Primrose as she dreamed of traveling away to exciting places where important things happen. The cover of the book is also very visually appealing, and that’s probably what drew me to it. We see Primrose, with her “carrots in apricot glaze” hair, seated before a huge stack of waffles. At the top, we find three characters from the story: Miss Bowzer, Uncle Jack, and Lena with her boiled potatoes. Along the way, we see other things from the story tucked in between the waffles – a hockey stick, asparagus, a fishing boat. I haven’t read any other books by this author, so I cannot make a comparison. However, in comparison to other books written from the child’ point of view, I think this one is very well-written and entertaining. It is much deserving of the Newbery Honor. The new thing that I learned about children’s literature after reading this book is that the format or style in which the story is presented can be different from the norm, even whimsical. I also learned that I prefer a story told from the point of view of a child character in the story, rather than from an omniscient view. I definitely recommend Everything on a Waffle for you and your students!