Synopses & Reviews
Whether it's waking up to find toads in their shoes, becoming trapped on the roof, or searching for cheese when their cow makes only lemonade, the Pepin family always seem to get into the most bizarre scrapes. Lucky for them, they have an author with large psychic antennae and great problem-solving readers who can join the Pepins on their hilarious adventures. And they need all the help they can get!
Review
“Following her National Book Award-winning dark comedy
The Canning Season, Horvath reprises the unalloyed giddiness of
Everything on a Waffle—and ups the ante with some outrageous, Pirandello-like flourishes . . . the sly running jokes about place names and brazenly funny developments keep the conceit and the comedy energetic all the way to the finish line.”—
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Distinctive and decidedly hilarious . . . Young readers wont be able to turn the pages fast enough to discover the Pepins newest predicament. . . . A delight.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Horvath spins deliciously silly stories about a family rivaling Hales Peterkins for foolishness and Cresswells Bagthorpes for effervescent wit. Each preposterous event holds fresh surprise. . . . Hafners line drawings visualize the shenanigans with comic amiability. Heres one reader beaming thoughts to both author and illustrator: Thanks for the laughs! More, please!”—The Horn Book Magazine, Starred Review
“The sly humor is just right for upper-elementary-school kids, and this book should be a fun read-aloud for younger listeners.”—School Library Journal
“Horvath spins a delightful yarn . . . the wordplay is a great argument for reading this aloud; adults will enjoy the story almost as much as children.”—Booklist
Synopsis
The unusual Pepin family confronts numerous problems, such as having a cow who creates lemonade rather than milk and having to cope with a competitive neighbor, and the reader is invited to help guide the plight of a problem-prone family.
About the Author
Polly Horvath is the author of many books for young people, including Everything on a Waffle, 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. Marylin Hafner has illustrated numerous children's books. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.