Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
Reviewed by BridgetRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
2002 Newbery Honor Book
Ratings Explanation
Violence: Mr. Cantina grabs Primrose by the collar. Primrose is run over by a truck and loses her pinky toe. She then loses the tip of her finger, which was caught in a fishing net, when she nearly drowns. Uncle Jack heroically saves Miss Honeycut from a fire, and is severely burned.
Adult Themes: Miss Perfidy dies while in intensive care. Uncle Jack is not interested in caring for Primrose in the slightest, it would be an imposition. Everyone in Coal Harbor tells Primrose to accept the fact that her parents are dead. Miss Bowser tells Primrose how fortunate she is to have parents who love one another, unlike most of the kids in town. “Most of the kids in town don’t even have two parents, one dead one and one alive one. Or they got two divorced ones who don’t talk to each other. Or they’ve got a mom and a bird-of-the-night dad who sang one sweet song and never appeared again.”
Synopsis
Primrose, a young girl, lives in a little fishing village in British Columbia. Her father’s boat is caught in a terrible storm at sea. Primrose’s mother heads out to sea to find her husband and they are lost at sea together. Primrose Squarp adamantly denies that her parents are dead. She is convinced they are shipwrecked, somewhere. An entire year passes before her parents are rescued and return home. During the year, Primrose is passed from one neglectful care-giver to another. Primrose has three crazy accidents. First, she is hit by a truck and loses her pinky toe, then she loses the tip of her finger in a tangled fishing net, when she nearly drowned. Primrose is eventually placed in foster care. In spite of the many challenges, Primrose Squarp remains an optimist.
As an enormous waffle fan, I love the title of this book! The story is a modern day Pollyanna tale. Fourth and fifth grade readers will enjoy this book.