One Year in Coal Harbor

Starred review from August 20, 2012
Primrose Squab, the star of Horvath's Newbery Honor title Everything on a Waffle (2001), returns in this delightful sequel, chronicling the latest goings-on â¨in her British Columbian fishing village. Now 12 and happily reunited with her parents, Primrose has set her sights on compiling a cookbook and helping Miss Bowzer at the Girl on the Red Swing restaurant ("She was teaching me how to cook and I was trying to move the romance along between her and my uncle Jack"). When Ked, a foster child, arrives in town, Primrose gains an accomplice in her culinary efforts and an ally in opposing a local logging operation. More importantly, she hopes she has found a true best friend. Like its predecessor, Horvath's tale features wonderfully deadpan chapter headings and recipes ("If your parents have been stranded on an island for a year, this is a very poignant dessert," writes Horvath of floating meringue islands). Though the quirky (and highly memorable) characters and remote setting provide ample opportunities for humor, Horvath skillfully balances the story's light and dark moments, leaving readers with an ending both satisfying and honest. Ages 9â12.

Starred review from August 1, 2012
One year after the events of Newbery Honor-winning Everything on a Waffle (2001), Primrose Squarp returns, no longer orphaned but just as determined to make everything turn out right. Her parents back from their yearlong loss at sea, Primrose has turned her attentions to her real-estate-developer uncle Jack and the possibly burgeoning romance between him and restaurateur Miss Bowzer. She's also concerned about her former foster parents' new foster child, Ked, who becomes her first real peer-group friend and whom she badly wants Evie and Bert to adopt for good, for all their sakes. Further unsettling her is the threatened logging of the old-growth forest just outside of town. When Primrose isn't plotting, she and Ked desultorily work on a cookbook (working title: Just Throw Some Melted Butter on It and Call It a Day), recipes for which end each chapter. While this title lacks the single-minded focus of Primrose's earlier (mis)adventure, it has heaping helpings of Horvathian wit (Primrose practices dilating her pupils; "It makes you look innocent and doe-eyed," she explains) and wisdom ("Maybe we live in a universe where all you have control over is your own kindness," suggests Uncle Jack). Ever respectful of the capacity of her audience to comprehend the big words and concepts she deals in, the author delivers a gothic tragicomedy that is both a worthy sequel and as able as Primrose to stand on its own. (Fiction. 9-12)

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Starred review from August 1, 2012

Gr 5-7-Primrose Squarp, heroine of Everything on a Waffle (Farrar, 2001), is back, perceptive and quirky as ever, as she narrates another year of events in Coal Harbor, British Columbia, picking up right where the last book left off. Her parents, charming Uncle Jack, and the rest of the cast provide ample fodder for Primrose's hilarious narrative asides, even given several serious plot elements. Protestors arrive in town in response to a planned clear-cut of a local mountain, Miss Bowzer and Uncle Jack have ongoing miscommunication that threatens the romantic future Primrose envisions for them, and Bert and Evie take in foster son Ked, who becomes the best friend Primrose has always wanted. Capitalism, the democratic process, and run-of-the-mill events become wickedly funny in Horvath's hands, with the resourceful characters emerging battered but victorious. A recipe at the end of each chapter again adds to the fun, with many reflecting Evie's obsession with mini-marshmallows. Dashes of serious reflection on fear, love, and the unfairness that life doles out are seamlessly interwoven and add depth to the narrative. The resolution of the various plot strands feels a bit choppy, requiring a few leaps of faith that most readers will gladly take. Excellent fun surrounds nuggets of wisdom, making for a great read or read-aloud to be enjoyed on multiple levels, an experience enhanced by having read Everything on a Waffle first.-Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library District, Elgin, IL

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
Grades 5-7 Horvath continues the story of Everything on a Waffle (2001) with this less whimsically titled but equally enjoyable sequel. Primrose Squarp is no longer in the thin place she inhabited when her parents were missing; she seems less ethereal than she did in Waffle. Primrose has more typical concerns, wondering why she cannot make a close friend and worrying that her uncle Jack will never successfully woo Miss Bowzer. But when Evie and Bert foster a boy named Ked, Primrose recognizes not just a potential friend but someone inhabiting the thin space she knows so well. New recipes and characters add color to the story, despite the grays of reality. As she navigates a year that is sometimes wonderful, sometimes tumultuous, Primrose's sanguinity is a vehicle of growth and strength. Primrose's voice is wise yet vulnerable as she continues to decipher the human condition. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Horvath received a Newbery Honor for Everything on a Waffle, and The Trolls was a National Book Award finalist. Her loyal followers will welcome the follow-up to a beloved modern classic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 28, 2013
In this sequel to the Newbery Honor book Everything on a Waffle, young Primrose’s peaceful life in the tiny town of Coal Harbor in British Columbia is interrupted by a series of events both positive and negative, including the arrival of Ked, a foster child who becomes her close friend; the clear-cut logging of the local mountain that threatens the woods she loves; and her Uncle Jack’s maddening inability to form a romantic connection with Miss Bowzer, even though Primrose is sure they’re meant for each other. Kathleen McInerney is a perfect narrator for this material, her versatile voice conveying the unique personalities of the eccentric cast of characters: the young optimistic tones of Primose, the aw-shucks drawl of Bert, the flighty, fluttery voice of Evie, and, most amusingly, the clogged and stuffy voice of Eleanor, Primrose’s annoying tattletale classmate, who has a perpetual sinus infection. A well-paced story and likable characters, combined with excellent narration, make this a very enjoyable listen. Ages 9–12. A Schwartz & Wade hardcover.

January 1, 2013
Primrose Squarp, doughty hero of Everything on a Waffle, has her previously-lost-at-sea parents back home, but the residents of Coal Harbor continue to need her varied, unusual talents. This novel is funny from top to bottom, from surprising plot twists to laugh-out-loud comments on the human condition to the edges where humor merges with wisdom and sadness. Nobody does middle grade like Horvath.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2012
Primrose Squarp, doughty hero of Everything on a Waffle (rev. 5/01), has her previously-lost-at-sea parents back home, but the residents of Coal Harbor continue to need her varied and unusual talents. Uncle Jack remains resistant to Primrose's plan for his romantic happiness. Bert and Evie clearly need an outlet for their nurturing energies now that Quincehead, their Cockapoo, is no more. What is the mystery of Ked, the new kid in town? Why has Miss Bowser suddenly added pierogi to the menu of her restaurant? And over it all looms the threat of a clearcut on Mendolay Mountain. Primrose is an unforgettable character, an energetic blend of optimism, smarts, and kindness, saved from the spunky girl cliche by a hint of reflective melancholy. This novel is funny from top to bottom, from the use of miniature marshmallows as an unlikely ingredient (in, say, baked potatoes) to surprising plot twists (pay attention to Primrose's mother; readers of the Horvath oeuvre have met her before) to laugh-out-loud comments on the human condition to the edges where humor merges with wisdom and sadness. Nobody does middle grade like Horvath. sarah ellis

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)