Hot Dog Girl

February 11, 2019
Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to make the most of her pre–senior year summer. Never mind that it’s the last summer open for local amusement park Magic Castle Playland (the one place Lou feels safe and the first place she went to when her mother left). Or that she’s been cast as the park’s wandering hot dog for the second year in a row. Or that Nick Mulholland, the cute diving pirate, is dating the park’s literal princess instead of Lou, even after the moment they shared in a rainstorm the previous summer. Amid it all, Lou persuades her best friend, smart, beautiful Seeley Jendron, to be her fake girlfriend, hoping to spark jealousy in Nick and convince him to date her. And she hopes to get the town to raise money to save the park along the way. Easy, right? Relatable and funny, Dungan’s character dialogue and voice capture the awkward/messy/magical summer and keep both the characters and plot real and winning throughout this amusement park ride. Ages 12–up. Agent: Brooks Sherman, Janklow & Nesbit Associates.

March 1, 2019
This is going to be the best summer yet for Elouise "Lou" Parker, who is spending the months before senior year working at a local amusement park.This is the second summer Lou and her lesbian best friend, Seeley, are working at the park, and to her dismay, it will also be their last--the owner is closing it down for good at the end of the season. When she isn't in her hot dog costume, Lou spends half her time scheming to save the park and the other half trying to get closer to her crush, Nick. She's getting flirty vibes from him, but he's already got a girlfriend, so bisexual Lou's solution is to convince Seeley to pretend to be her girlfriend so they can go on double dates and she can get closer to him. They're so close people mistake them for a couple anyhow, so what's the harm? Dugan's debut has a clear and confident voice, and her characters are sympathetic in their desire for happiness and fear of change; the supporting cast members have their own fully-developed personalities without overwhelming the main storyline. Lou's inner narration is funny, clear, and emotional, especially when she is remembering her mother, who abandoned Lou and her father years ago. Set in rural New England, the white main cast has a few secondary characters of color. A fun romantic comedy that evokes the pleasures of summertime. (Fiction. 14-18)

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April 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Dugan's debut coming-of-age romance features a charismatic, quirky protagonist with a delightfully sarcastic sense of humor, but the sophomoric plot may be a nonstarter for its intended audience. Sixteen-year-old Elouise (Lou) Parker has high hopes for the summer. She's got her seasonal job back at Magic Castle Playland alongside her best friend, Seeley, and her heartthrob, Nick. The only downside is that Nick's girlfriend, the perfect Jessa, is cast as the park's princess, while, once again, Lou is stuck in the hotdog costume. Lou won't let that ruin her romantic plans; instead, it is the park owner's announcement that this will be Magic Castle's last season that derails her perfect summer. Ever since she can remember, Magic Castle has played an important role in her life. Its closing is unthinkable, and Lou is determined to save the park. But Lou's poorly conceived plans keep falling flat, and the park-saving gradually takes a backseat to romance as the story takes a decidedly more mature turn. When her efforts to steal Nick from Jessa cost her Seeley's friendship, Lou belatedly recognizes that she and Seeley have had feelings for each other simmering in the background most of their lives. The roller-coaster story line draws to a bizarre yet tidy conclusion with a hot romance between the two girls. VERDICT Dugan does a nice job of character development, but the opening chapters of this high school queer romance read too much like a Shirley Temple/Mickey Rooney movie plot.-Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA

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