Hi there! Thanks for stopping by Booktomato today! Here is what my third grader and I are reading lately - Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr, translated into English by Guy Puzey. Life gets so busy, and between a full school day, after school activities, and household chores, I feel like I don't get nearly as much time with him as I used to have. I like to sit down and read a couple chapters of a book with him at bed time. He could read it by himself, but I like that quiet time together.

This book is an English translation of a Norwegian children's novel about two best friends - a boy named Trille and a girl named Lena.

"She's my best friend, even if she is a girl. I have never told her. I don't dare, as I don't know if I am her best friend. Sometimes I think I am, and sometimes I think I'm not. It depends. But I do wonder about it."

Trille and Lena live with their families in a small and traditional Norwegian town. Lena is the only girl in their class, and she and Trille are next door neighbors. After school, they get into all kinds of what they call adventure but their mothers call trouble.

This is a great chapter book for third and fourth graders. As we read together, my third grader is really relating to the social anxieties that come with young friendships. He has laughed out loud at some of the antics the characters have up their sleeves, and I find that while the story is a familiar topic, it still feels fresh because of the unique setting in a country that is different from our own. If you have read any of The Penderwicks series, this is very reminiscent of that. recommended age: 8-11