Everything on a Waffle

Just before Melissa, Amanda, and Frank (Pee Wee) Anderson's parents leave for Paris, the babysitter comes down with "a mild case of bubonic plague," and they reluctantly call on Mr. Anderson's sister Sally from Canada to watch the nieces and nephew she has never met. Aunt Sally lets the children play with her makeup and jewelry, eats their green beans as well as her own, and regales them with tales of their relatives and of growing up on Vancouver Island. An original and entertaining character, Sally always seems larger than life, yet blessedly imperfect and at times haunted by her memories. Her tales, like true family stories, vary in tone, exaggeration, and completeness, but they wield their power through their ability to relate the past to the present. Each story is entertaining on its own, and together they define the tone of this witty, clever, and involving book. -