Lena, the Sea, and Me

Maria Parr

$16.99

Publication Date: August 3rd, 2021

Publisher:

Candlewick

ISBN:

9781536207729

Pages:

304

Usually Ships within 5 Days from our Wholesaler

Description

In a charming sequel to Adventures with Waffles, Trille and Lena navigate the rough waters of friendship when a new soccer coach and a new girl in school disrupt their seaside escapades.

Trille and Lena may be getting older, but they still find everyday adventure—and trouble—in their coastal village, including sinking every raft they build, getting little sisters stuck up flag poles, and attending those dreaded music lessons. But that’s not all. The arrival of a less-than-encouraging new soccer coach is putting twelve-year-old Lena's goalkeeping career in doubt. And Trille is wondering how to impress the girl who has just joined his class. As the best friends battle the elements and their own emotions, one thing is for sure: they're not giving up, not if Lena has anything to do with it! In Maria Parr’s follow-up to Adventures with Waffles, the acclaimed author returns to Mathildewick Cove with a rib-tickling story of growing up.

About the Author

Maria Parr is a celebrated Norwegian author whose books have been published in more than thirty countries worldwide. Her debut novel, Adventures with Waffles, won several awards and was made into a popular children's television series in Norway and adapted for the stage. Her second novel, Astrid the Unstoppable, was also made into a theater production. Maria Parr lives in Norway.

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. He is the translator of three books by Maria Parr: Adventures with Waffles; Lena, the Sea, and Me; and Astrid the Unstoppable. Guy Puzey grew up in the Highlands of Scotland, just a short but cold swim away from Norway.

Praise for Lena, the Sea, and Me

In this engaging follow-up to Ms. Parr’s ‘Adventures With Waffles’ (2015), we follow Trille and his formidable 12-year-old best friend, Lena, through a tumultuous year in their village on the coast of Norway. . . a quirky, zestful story.
—The Wall Street Journal

Parr shows enormous respect for the way children navigate so many of life’s changes. . . and paints the emotions of the children as complex and dignified. . . . A captivating celebration of all the sweet (and bittersweet) feelings that come with growing up.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Narrated by 10-year-old Trille, this inviting book traces another eventful year in Mathildewick Cove. . . . Published in Norway in 2017, the novel is driven by the vividly portrayed characters who make up the small community. Trille and Lena are growing and changing all along the way as this episodic and sometimes amusing story unfolds. The concluding chapters are among the most surprising, poignant, and memorable in this engaging series.
—Booklist

Parr does a wonderful job of tracing Trille’s nascent coming of age and the changing dynamics of the children’s friendship while simultaneously filling the book with drama and incident, season by season. . . . Characters are vividly drawn, with both humor and pathos, and dialogue zings.
—The Horn Book