Hold the Pickles

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