Young Trille struggles with the fear that nothing will ever be right again when his best friend moves and his waffle-making Auntie Granny passes away. - (Baker & Taylor)

Lena is Trille’s best friend, even if she is a girl. And there is never an ordinary day when you’ve got a best friend like Lena.

Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it’s coaxing a cow onto a boat or sledding down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill—and sometimes an injury—to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny’s waffles. But when Lena has to move away and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems like nothing will ever be right again. The warmth of friendship and the support of family suffuse this lightly illustrated novel, proving that when times are tough, a little taste of sweetness can make all the difference. - (Random House, Inc.)

Maria Parr is a writer and high-school teacher. Adventures with Waffles, her debut novel, has been translated into twenty languages and won several awards around the world. Maria Parr lives in Norway with her family.

Guy Puzey began translating Norwegian literature after studying the language at the University of Edinburgh and now works at the university as a researcher and teacher. - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* When readers meet nine-year-old Trille and his best friend Lena, Lena is barely hanging onto the rope they have strung between their houses' second-floor windows, and Trille is frantically hauling his parents' mattress down the stairs and out to the yard to save her. It's a fitting introduction, since Lena races headlong into every crazy scheme they concoct, with Trille following close behind. Set in a tiny seaside community in Norway, the story contains other adventures, such as the duo's amusing attempt to re-create Noah's Ark with a rowboat and livestock. Although two events threaten to overwhelm Trille with a sense of loss, one ends well and, after the other, he finds comfort in family and friends. Trille's accessible first-person narrative shares both his adventures and his feelings, which run the gamut from terror to grief to elation. Parr creates a strong sense of the characters as individuals, especially Lena, Trille, and Trille's grandfather. For all its emotional resonance, the narrative is never soppy. In fact, humor plays a big part in this rewarding book. Published first in Norway and translated into 20 languages, this appealing chapter book has a distinctive setting, plenty of humor, and unusual emotional clarity. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

Narrator Trille's best friend is next-door neighbor Lena, almost nine, fearless, and hilariously blunt. Their small, contemporary Norwegian community provides all the adventure they need, from reenacting Noah's ark on Uncle Tor's fishing boat (mayhem ensues) to quieter adventures such as advertising for a dad for Lena. The novel is episodic but strongly plotted, with changes in the families' lives woven into Trille's small-scope story.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

Young narrator Trille's best friend is his next-door neighbor, Lena, almost nine, perhaps best described as a more-realistic Pippi Longstocking. Fierce, fearless, daring, hilariously blunt; she "eats like a horse and looks like a bicycle," says Trille's grandpa. The timider Trille wishes he knew whether he was Lena's best friend as well, but he doesn't dare ask. With Lena's penchant for thrill-seeking, their small close-knit community of Mathildewick Cove provides all the adventure they need, whether they are attempting to reenact Noah's ark on Uncle Tor's fishing boat (mayhem ensues), playing pirates (Lena's impersonation of a ship's figurehead results in a minor concussion, one of many), or joining in the family's annual sheep roundup (Lena gets stuck on a ledge and has to be rescued by a helicopter). There are quieter adventures as well, such as when they start a retirement home for slaughterhouse-bound horses or advertise for a dad for Lena ("Must be nice and like boiled cabbage"). The novel is episodic but strongly plotted, with larger changes in the lives of the families woven into Trille's smaller-scope story. Set in contemporary Norway, the story takes place over one year, book-ended by two Midsummer's Eve celebrations that poignantly encapsulate all the changes, happy and sad. Readers will not be surprised that in the end Trille finds his own voice, and the courage to finally ask the crucial best-friend question; readers, of course, will already know the answer. martha v. parravan Copyright 2014 Horn Book Magazine.

Kirkus Reviews

Next-door neighbors in a small Norwegian town share mishaps and mischief.Spanning a year in their lives, this lively tale details the escapades of Trille and his neighbor, Lena. Through the voice of pragmatic 9-year-old Trille, Parr deftly portrays her narrator's earnestness and Lena's insouciance as together the friends carry out their schemes with often humorous and occasionally regrettable results. Though they live in quiet Mathildewick Cove, the friends' dynamic imaginations lead to several exhilarating—and a few precarious—escapades, which range from seafaring ventures to a mountainside helicopter rescue. Amid these antics, Parr subtly reveals Trille's and Lena's innermost worries. Although Trille considers the irrepressible Lena his best friend, he wonders whether she reciprocates those feelings. And beneath Lena's vibrant exterior, she longs for a father, a dilemma that she attempts to resolve in her indefatigable, quirky fashion. Through several well-nuanc ed characters, Parr delineates Trille's extended family support and reveals the familial closeness that Trille so cherishes. Trille's relationships with his grandfather and his beloved "Auntie Granny" celebrate these multigenerational connections. With simply rendered illustrations that zero in on key elements of the story, Forrester extends the charm of this tale.Filled with both rollicking escapades and poignant moments, Parr's notable tale portrays a young boy's heartfelt appreciation of family and friends. (Fiction. 8-11) Copyright Kirkus 2015 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

This heartfelt and humorous debut novel comes to the U.S. having received award attention abroad and spawned a television show in the author's native Norway. Trille considers his classmate Lena his best friend ("There isn't really any such thing as an ordinary day when you've got a... friend like Lena"), but she's too free-spirited to think of their relationship in those terms. The episodic novel follows the friends as they make mischief together—playing Christmas music in June for money on the street, for example, or pretending they are spies while riding on Trille's grandfather's moped. "You and Lena never do the same thing twice," exclaims Trille's father after the busking incident. "You only come up with more insanity!" Trille and Lena's warm friendship recalls that of Astrid Lindgren's Pippi and Tommy, though Parr does engage in serious issues, too. Lena's hunt for a father (her mother is her only family) often has Trille considering his own close-knit family, and the loss of Trille's grandmother and his shared grief with his grandfather are tenderly and authentically treated. Forrester's handsome b&w silhouette-style images open each brief chapter. Ages 7–9. (May)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 3–5—In this delightful Norwegian import, two friends, a boy nicknamed Trille and his best friend, Lena, get into some hair-raising, frequently hilarious, and, sometimes, injury-inducing escapades over the course of a year. Narrated by Trille in a realistically childlike, first-person voice, the novel is fresh and fast-paced. While readers will chuckle at the friends' adventures—and marvel at their chutzpah—their mouths will also water at the frequency with which waffles, clearly a popular Norwegian treat, figure into the story. Children will relate to Trille's anxiety about whether he is Lena's best pal, a worry extinguished in a final, harrowing episode that, fortunately, ends well. Silhouettes, featured on the charming cover, also highlight chapter openings and provide a cozy, friendly feel. Readers may occasionally be put off by Lena's portrayal as too proud, stubborn, and reckless for her own good, but they'll appreciate her resourcefulness and strength of character anyway. Purchasers should note some religious overtones and Christian references. VERDICT Recommended for public and school libraries, this will be useful as supplementary material in units about day-to-day life in another country.—Carol Goldman, Queens Library, NY