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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book reminded me a lot of Hope Was Here, and had that same aching, growing sort of feeling to it.
Granted I am clearly not the target audience. I read this book before gifting it to a friend's young daughter (wanted to read it for myself first). I found nothing interesting about this book but it would be a non-offensive read for a 7-10 year old.
It's a Newbery!
I'm not sure what I just read. So much happens and solutions come out of nowhere and two digits are lost (which is two too many) and I just don't know. It reads like a story a kid is telling you off the top of their head and maybe that's the absurdism the author was going for, but I was left shaking my head and keeping going because it was short. I might have liked it more as a kid, but I didn't care for it now.
I'm not sure what I just read. So much happens and solutions come out of nowhere and two digits are lost (which is two too many) and I just don't know. It reads like a story a kid is telling you off the top of their head and maybe that's the absurdism the author was going for, but I was left shaking my head and keeping going because it was short. I might have liked it more as a kid, but I didn't care for it now.
Really sweet. Boys rather enjoyed the story and the recipes.
Made me laugh out loud several times, but I didn't love the story.
Fun, quirky story. I think this could be a possibility for a read-aloud in the spring.
"In the small Canadian town of Coal Harbour, in a quaint restaurant called The Girl on the Red Swing, everything comes on a waffle--lasagna, fish, you name it. Even waffles! Eleven-year-old Primrose Squarp loves this homey place, especially its owner, Kate Bowzer, who takes her under her wing, teaches her how to cook, and doesn t patronize or chastise her, even when she puts her guinea pig too close to the oven and it catches fire. Primrose can use a little extra attention. Her parents were lost at sea, and everyone but her thinks they are dead. Her Uncle Jack, who kindly takes her in, is perfectly nice, but doesn t have much time on his hands. Miss Perfidy, her paid babysitter-guardian, smells like mothballs and really doesn t like children, and her school guidance counselor, Miss Honeycut, an uppity British woman of the world, is too caught up in her own long-winded stories to be any kind of confidante. Nobody knows what exactly to think of young Primrose, and Primrose doesn t quite know what to make of her small community, either."
"In the small Canadian town of Coal Harbour, in a quaint restaurant called The Girl on the Red Swing, everything comes on a waffle--lasagna, fish, you name it. Even waffles! Eleven-year-old Primrose Squarp loves this homey place, especially its owner, Kate Bowzer, who takes her under her wing, teaches her how to cook, and doesn t patronize or chastise her, even when she puts her guinea pig too close to the oven and it catches fire. Primrose can use a little extra attention. Her parents were lost at sea, and everyone but her thinks they are dead. Her Uncle Jack, who kindly takes her in, is perfectly nice, but doesn t have much time on his hands. Miss Perfidy, her paid babysitter-guardian, smells like mothballs and really doesn t like children, and her school guidance counselor, Miss Honeycut, an uppity British woman of the world, is too caught up in her own long-winded stories to be any kind of confidante. Nobody knows what exactly to think of young Primrose, and Primrose doesn t quite know what to make of her small community, either."
Our family listened to this book on tape. Like others, the catchy title and cover work attracted us to this book. Like others, we enjoyed the recipes, the interesting characters, their fun names, and the quirky town they lived in. Some characters were more admirable than others, but the overriding sense we all had was that there seemed to be no emotional connection between them. Her uncle had no domestic or nurturing side to him at all - the only indication we have at the end is that he subverted his natural inclination to tell Primrose that her parents were dead. So that he could seem supportive to her. That's it. And what's up with the whole hockey game next door in their gymnasium? That plot line when absolutely nowhere. The lady who owns the restaurant seemed like she was going to be a major supportive character, but their interaction happened only when Primrose went to her restaurant, and the basis of their "relationship" was recipes. No emotional support or outside interaction. Primrose's foster parents were certainly admirable, and downright lovely. They take in a strange girl, pick up and move to her town so she can be closer to her uncle who doesn't seem to really care about her, move into a townhouse that burns to the ground, and they never miss a beat. They are unrealistic, but at least I felt some emotional connection between the two of them, and their instant affection for Primrose.
Every story needs to have conflict, and I guess that occurred in the character or Miss Honeycut. She was somewhat interesting, but one-dimensional. There was no motivation for her actions, no back-story that would explain her attitude or personality flaws.
Perhaps the worst aspect of this book was the moment when Primrose and her parents are reunited. After the emotional struggle that she must have been facing for the entire book, the loving way she recalled stories about her parents, and being the only one who believed they were still alive, facing doubters all around her, their reunion should have felt more satisfying, more emotional. I wanted to tear up a little, and feel the depth of their homecoming. After all, all the main characters were there on the beach when their boat came in. But Primrose sort of mentions their arrival with a detached observation, and it feels flat.
The kids enjoyed it, it held the interest of my three sons (14, 12 and 7) and 10-year old daughter, and the characters were memorable. But the unsatisfying nature of Primrose's journey and the conclusion won't make this one of our favorites.
Every story needs to have conflict, and I guess that occurred in the character or Miss Honeycut. She was somewhat interesting, but one-dimensional. There was no motivation for her actions, no back-story that would explain her attitude or personality flaws.
Perhaps the worst aspect of this book was the moment when Primrose and her parents are reunited. After the emotional struggle that she must have been facing for the entire book, the loving way she recalled stories about her parents, and being the only one who believed they were still alive, facing doubters all around her, their reunion should have felt more satisfying, more emotional. I wanted to tear up a little, and feel the depth of their homecoming. After all, all the main characters were there on the beach when their boat came in. But Primrose sort of mentions their arrival with a detached observation, and it feels flat.
The kids enjoyed it, it held the interest of my three sons (14, 12 and 7) and 10-year old daughter, and the characters were memorable. But the unsatisfying nature of Primrose's journey and the conclusion won't make this one of our favorites.