Some of the other children taunt her for continuing to believe that her parents are just fine and will return. She packs up her things and moves in with Uncle Jack, though she leaves her sweaters with Miss Perfidy because the woman has so many mothballs, Primrose decides her sweaters will always be safe from moths. Primrose tries to adjust to her new life. He’s transferred to the West Coast, where Primrose lives, to live in Coal Harbor and raise her. They track down Primrose’s only known relative, her Uncle Jack, who has been working for the Navy on the East Coast. Miss Perfidy is increasingly absent-minded in her old age, and Primrose’s school guidance counselor, Miss Honeycut, appeals to the town council to appoint someone else as the girl’s guardian. Though Primrose insists she’s not an orphan, she’s initially left in the care of her elderly neighbor, Miss Perfidy. Primrose, the only one who holds out hope that they’re alive, refuses to attend their memorial service. When the storm is over, both of Primrose’s parents are missing, presumed dead. Primrose’s father is out on his fishing boat her mother leaves her with a neighbor while she goes out to find him. That’s where eleven-year-old Primrose Squarp lives with her parents until a storm hits the coast one night. The story is set in Coal Harbor, a small Canadian fishing village. Horvath is an award-winning American-Canadian author of children’s and young adult novels, including The Trolls and The Canning Season. Everything on a Waffle (2001), a comedic children’s book by Polly Horvath, tells the story of a year in the life of a plucky young girl after her parents vanish in a storm at sea.

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath