Adventures with Waffles is probably one of the best books I’ve read this year…so far. It’s originally in Norwegian, written by Maria Parr. I do not read Norwegian so I’m reviewing the English translation by Guy Puzey. It does have me wonder if anything was lost in translation, but, if it was, I can only imagine it would make the book even more outstanding.
“On the first afternoon of summer vacation, Lena and I made a ropeway between our houses. Lena, as usual, had to be the first to try.”
This is how we enter into the life of Trille aka Theobald Rodrik Danielsen Yttwegard and Lena. She’s the girl who lives next door and you can get to her house through the hole in the hedge. And what a life they live! It’s absolutely fantastic and highly dangerous, but not so dangerous that you don’t want to try it out yourself. I would definitely say if this book is your read aloud for the night there should be many “please don’t try this!” before each chapter starts. It’s truly amazing what Trille and Lena set-out to accomplish.
Back to the book - Trille and Lena, along with their families, live in Mathildewick Cove, Norway. A small island accessible by ferry, which is where Trille’s dad works. Trille also lives with his three siblings (Trille is the third born), mother, and grandpa. Oh, Grandpa - he is the grandpa that you will love from the moment you meet him, which is on page eight. Sometimes, even Grandpa is part of the adventures of Trille and Lena. Lena lives with her mother.
Trille and Lena, what a pair. They remind me a bit of Jesse and Leslie from Bridge to Terabithia. They create their own world and do crazy things where the female main character is definitely the leader and the male main character is so in awe of her bravery that they can’t help but follow, even when they know it may not be the best idea. While Trille and Lena don’t create an imaginary kingdom, they definitely get lost or incredibly focused on their ideas and see it through all the way till the end when it results in complete hilarity or someone getting hurt.
“'I should tumble down the Peaks more often if they give you a helicopter ride every time,' Lena said when we were sitting in the cedar tree a couple of days later."
Then there’s the time when Lena thought “ark” was a pretty dumb name for a boat and thought “Noah’s Shark was so much better. A “shark” boat is a kind of fishing boat they use in Norway and Trille’s uncle happens to have one. They’re not supposed to touch it, of course, and they do, of course. They touch it along with some rabbits, chickens, a goat, a very fat cat, insects in jars, and a cow. Fortunately, due to the goat eating the curtains on the boat, they never do leave the dock.
“'You see, Trille lad, if you're sad because you miss someone, then that means you care about that person. And caring about someone is the best thing there is. We carry the people we miss inside us.' He put his hand to his chest with a thump."
Sorry, I should’ve warned you before the quote. As there are so many laugh aloud moments in Adventures with Waffle, there are heart-wrenching moments as well. Real, true, meaningful moments that take your breath away at how beautifully they are written. While some of the predicaments Trille and Lena end up in seem a bit out of the ordinary - the mournful moments are as real as if you’re going through them too. They definitely cause you to reminisce the times you’ve had to grieve through change and through death.
If you’re reading aloud please have some tissues at hand.
Adventures with Waffles is a wonderful read aloud. It is so funny and so descriptive it’s easy to picture what’s going on, but not so descriptive you forget what’s happening. I know it’s hard to read sadness with our children, but that’s part of life - changes we cannot control and death. Trille lives through these aspects of life in such an honest way that, I believe, will actually benefit the reader and/or listener. Don’t shy away from the hard stuff just because of age.
I truly cannot gush enough about this book. I really just want to say “You HAVE to read this book!” I’ve heard that’s not the best way to suggest something to a person though. It’s a story of two best friends, of family, of grief, of craziness (in the funniest way), and is such a journey. I would say each character you meet is someone you love. There isn’t a “bad guy”, but the things that happen provide the conflict. Each chapter almost feels like it’s own episode.
Okay, so I’ll say it this way, “Instead of binging on episodes of the-latest-trend-on-Netflix, binge on Adventures with Waffles. You’ll get through the whole book in one night. P.S. Yes, there are actual waffles.”