Hold the Pickles

by Vicki Grant

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. His 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.

Genres: Humor, Mystery

103 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

After a long and messy adolescence, Vicki Grant stumbled into writing. She worked her way up from 30-second ads to 30-minute television scripts to full-length novels. She's written sixteen young adult, middle-grade and high-low novels. Her most recent YA novel, 36 Questions That Changed My Mind About You, has been published worldwide in over twenty territories.. Vicki lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Juvenile (2006): Quid Pro Quo
Red Maple Award: Not Suitable For Family Viewing
CBC Young Canada Reads: The Puppet Wrangler.

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sequel to Pigboy. Nice revisiting the bully-maybe friend(?)

[Sylvia McNicoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a bad day? Read this, it’s hilarious. Have you ever wanted to dress in a crazy mascot costume? As a hot dog with pickle feet? Have you ever done something humiliating for a job or a crush? This weiner is definitely having a worse day than you.

[Erin Cruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Uncle Hammy offers Dan ten dollars an hour to advertise Hogg's Doggs at the Food Fantasia Fun Fair, Dan can't believe his good luck. That is, until he's handed a hot dog suit and pushed to hand out samples. Although the suit bothers Dan at first, he soon discovers that his afternoon might not be so bad after all. In fact, he can attract and talk to cute girls. He can also start his personal trainer fund. However, as the fair continues on, questions arise. What is Cupcake Kate's problem? Is Shane really a good guy? What happened to his wallet? Will Dan ever get his hot dog suit back? And with questions like these, Dan wonders if offering to help his uncle was such a good idea after all.
This is such a light, fun, and easy read. I was unexpectedly captivated from start to finish by Dan's quirky point of view and believing nature. The story's airy tone remains intact as the plot tilts a little towards the mysterious side, which I enjoyed. Although Dan's actions are a little exaggerated and ridiculous, they are humorous and rivet attention towards what will happen next. The short chapters are so compact of action and comedy that even the most reluctant young readers may find it irresistible.
Content Warnings:
-some brief physical altercation

[Celeste Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super easy book for teens. More embarrassing events than funny.

[Mary L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick, fun read for reluctant middle school readers.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, humorous read that can be read quickly.

[Axana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book my teacher read with us, not sure why but I remember being grossed out

[Kucaemi23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is a very funny

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dan Hogg is back in this sequel to "Pigboy." This time he's attempting to earn some pocket-money by working as a hotdog mascot at a food fair. Chaos, and a lot of running around in his underwear ensues. Full of awkward attempts at flirting and snot-based comedy. An extremely easy read; good for reluctant readers. Extremely likely to appeal to boys.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an eBook edition that I downloaded from the public library, I wanted to try this method out. I loaded it onto a Kobo and this first try worked well. This story is aimed at young readers, but I enjoyed going back in time to when I was a teen and revisiting all the things and situations that are important to that age group.

[Lavabearian (Jessica) · Rating 1 out of 5]

My students are not going to pick this up. While the idea is unique to have to have a job where you are stuffed inside a giant hot dog, or any costume, there isn't really a local place where my readers would ever have to do this. Plus the narration was so boring. A NO vote for me.

[Taylor Cozy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hold the Pickles is a good book. Beware, the title may be humorous, but its FULL of mystery. Whats in the big red purse? Why is Ms. popular in love with Mr. Nerd? I totally recommend this book to ANYONE!!!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute love Orca Currents

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Zach Anderson]

Hold the Pickle was a fun interesting mystery book!