Summary
Summary
Dan Hogg is thrilled when his uncle offers him some work at a food fair, because he wants money to hire a professional trainer to help him with his scrawny physique.
Dan's excitement vanishes when he learns that the job is dressing up in a hotdog costume and handing out samples. Every dark cloud has its silver lining, Dan discovers, when he, or rather Frank Lee Better, his mascot persona, gains the attention of a pretty girl named Brooke. The attention is great until Dan finds himself under attack from Cupcake Katie and a mysterious guy with a strange interest in Brooke. It's not until he's huddling in a bathroom in nothing but his tight white underwear that Dan begins to suspect Brooke's attention might be too good to be true.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read!
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-10-In the first hi/lo book, Don Hogg's uncle offers $10 an hour to help hand out samples of his new fiber-rich hot dogs at a food fair, and the 15-year-old can't wait to sign up. His dream of popularity becomes endangered, however, when he realizes that he must wear an ugly hot-dog costume. When a beautiful girl named Brooke comes to him for help in getting away from a stalker, Don can't wait to jump in and save the day. Then a ring of pickpockets starts targeting people, and he can't help but wonder if Brooke's problem and the pickpockets are somehow connected. The characters are well developed, and the interesting plot has a lot of twists and turns that are easy to follow. This short, funny story will appeal to reluctant readers. The second book focuses on Max, who loves to play hockey, particularly with his dad. It was their passion, their bonding time, and their stress reliever. Now his dad is dead, and his distant mother won't even talk about his father. Every time he mentions playing with his team again, she makes some vague excuse about why it won't work. Forced to look after his special-needs brother after school, Max wonders if he'll ever be able to play hockey again. Although Max's character is a little one-dimensional, and the singular plot is a little drawn out in places, the boy's relationship with his family will hold readers' attention. This book would make a good purchase for large libraries or those that have heavily used reluctant-reader collections.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Fifteen-year-old Dan takes a job that requires him to wear a humiliating hot dog costume, handing out samples at a food fair. The slapstick plot that unfolds features warring food mascots, a security officer looking for pickpockets, and two pretty girls who use Dan as a foil for their thievery. Light if predictable fare aimed at reluctant teen readers. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Desperate to make some money so that he can do something about his scrawny physique, Dan Hogg, 15, agrees to work for his uncle handing out samples at the Food Fantasia Fun Fair, even though the job involves dressing up in foam as a high-fiber hot dog, Frank Lee Better, the Healthy Hottie. Using garbage bags and toilet paper, Dan tries to disguise who he is from local bullies and gorgeous Brooke, but the bullies do come after him, someone takes his money (who is the thief?), and Frank ends up in his tight underwear in the bathroom: a newborn earthworm would be more attractive. Filled with gross-out details of snot and slime, as well as simple wordplay, this short novel in the Orca Currents series for reluctant readers combines everyday scenarios with a clever mystery that ends with a surprising revelation about the identity of the pickpocket.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist