Can't-Wait Wednesday: Hot Dog Girl & Lizzie Flying Solo

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I can't wait for 

Hot Dog Girl 
Jennifer Dugan
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Putnam
Release Date: April 30, 2019
Goodreads

Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way:

* She's landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog.

* Her crush, the dreamy Diving Pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the Princess of the park. But Lou's never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after.

* Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, who's always been up for anything, suddenly isn't when it comes to Lou's quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou's scheme to get close to Nick.

* And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland--ever--unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

Jennifer Dugan's sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love--and themselves--in unexpected people and unforgettable places.

Why I want to read this book

Let's not pretend, that I didn't add this book to my TBR without reading the synopsis. The cover says so many things to me, and all of those things are things I love. But, going a little deeper.

• It's a summertime story, which usually means fun
• It's set in a theme park
• There are multiple romantic plots, and you know who loves a good romance (answer: ME!)
• They have to save the park! 
• It's about figuring out who you are and what you want

Sounds exactly like my sort of book, and just reading the synopsis made me smile.

Lizzie Flying Solo
Nanci Turner Stevenson
Age/Genre: Middle Grades, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Goodreads

A lyrical, poignant middle grade novel about embracing change, accepting help from others, and finding a place to call home. Perfect for fans of Raymie Nightingale.

Lizzie St. Claire wants to be invisible. Forced to move out of her home, she and her mom now live in a transitional housing shelter, Good Hope, until they can get back on their feet.

Lizzie just wants to keep her head down at Good Hope and her new school, so she doesn’t have to admit the real reason she and her mom lost everything.

But when Lizzie finds herself at the nearby Birchwood Stables, some new friends—along with the arrival of a frightened pony named Fire—help Lizzie to open up and accept help from those around her, even if it means she’ll have more to lose if things change again.

Why I want to read this book

I have been reading more and more middle grades books, because we are getting so many stupendous entries in this group, and I feel like Lizzie Flying Solo will be yet another amazing middle grades read for me. I like that the author featured a family, who are homeless. This is something that many families experience, and I am always for increasing the visibility of this group. It's about facing change, which is something that is difficult for a lot of people (myself included). It gives me comfort to read about others successfully embracing changes in their lives. And, bonus! There's a pony. I am getting a lot of heartwarming feels from this book, and those are my favorite kind of feels.

What are you waiting on?

Let us know in the comments!