Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox [Paperback]

Bennett Madison (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lulu Dark | Publication Date: May 17, 2007

The last thing Lulu Dark needs is a mystery getting in the way of her Important Summer Plans (which include snacking, sunbathing, and trash TV). But when Lulu’s mother, B-list celebrity Isabelle Dark, drops into town to shoot a movie, Lulu gets just that.

Isabelle disappears, and despite her mother’s reputation for flakiness, Lulu has a hunch she’s in real trouble. Especially when she finds a note among Isabelle’s things from a mysterious figure known only as The Fox.

Lulu must cross paths with a teen screen queen, a dodgy director, and a fleet of muscle-bound maids before she finds her mom and uncovers The Fox’s true identity.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–Once again Lulu Dark, reluctant girl detective, finds herself in the middle of an increasingly complicated Halo City mystery. Age discrimination is at the root of a number of kidnappings as a group of out-of-work actresses joins in a plot to get them movie roles. Lulu's sort of boyfriend and her C-list actress mother are among those in peril due to the actions of a deranged Hollywood figure. As in the first adventure, there are many references to pop culture, such as the television shows The Apprentice and Veronica Mars as well as Jessica Simpson. The novel keeps moving, with a few red herrings thrown in for added piquancy. Today's Hollywood starlets are mockingly portrayed as vapid, self-absorbed teens spoiled beyond belief. Lulu and her friend Daisy wisecrack their way through the book. The denouement leaves them all in danger until Daisy's scarily controlling mom shows a new facet of her personality with a daring rescue. While many of the situations are outlandish, they are also amusing, such as when Lulu hijacks a city bus and involves the passengers in helping her get into a suspect's building. Teens will enjoy this smart, funny chick-lit heroine who has real problems and a satirical outlook.–B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Even after her successful sleuthing in Lulu Dark Can See through Walls ^B (2005), Madison's reluctant girl detective mocks Nancy Drew-type series: "In real life, mysteries happen once in a lifetime, not once a week." Perhaps, but this sequel wastes no time in introducing another puzzle: Is Lulu's washed-up celebrity mom the ringleader of a guerilla group against Hollywood ageism? When her mother's disappearance coincides with the kidnapping of her friend-turned-flame Charlie, Lulu launches an investigation loaded with both farce and chipper, modern-girl spirit ("It's one thing to threaten me with a loaded gun. It's another to be condescending"). Discoveries about relationships underlie the rampant plot absurdities, and Lulu emerges as more wholesome than many of chick-lit's edgier heroines, barely mentioning sex and drinking "ginger ale . . . straight up, on the rocks." Fans and newcomers alike will want to see more of Lulu, as much for her screwball adventures as to find out whether she and Charlie ever settle into a comfy best-friends-with-benefits routine. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 201 pages
• Publisher: Razorbill (May 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595141545
• ISBN-13: 978-1595141545
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,055,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bennett Madison grew up in suburban Maryland, where he spent most of his youth skipping class and not doing his homework. He attended Sarah Lawrence College, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he writes the Lulu Dark series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lulu, not the Book it Appears to Be, December 18, 2008

By 

Mid-Prairie Teen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox (Paperback)

Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox, is an adventure book written by Bennett Madison. The book is about a pretty big mystery that starts to form throughout the story. A young starlet, Lulu, lives with her gay dad and his boyfriend in a major city. Lulu has a very bad relationship with her aging mother who is trying to keep her acting career going. When a mysterious person starts to threaten young starlets, Lulu thinks her mother could be behind it all. Lulu decides to investigate the situation with her best friend Daisy. Lulu is a very prissy teenager who always has to look beautiful and have her chap stick available for her so called, "chap stick moments", that help her think. Her hair has to be perfect, and she's not afraid to talk about her assets. Her friend Daisy is not much different. I don't think that really encourages teenagers. I am a teenager and it surely didn't encourage me. We are already nervous about how we look, so we don't need to learn about the people who never have that problem because they are so rich they can buy all of the designer clothes.
When I read the reviews for this book, they were overall pretty good. Now that I have read the book myself, I learned those reviews were VERY misleading. They would say that this book is perfect for teenagers, but the book had many inappropriate parts and things that were very suggestive. If you ask me, having a gay dad is very inappropriate and something that I would NEVER want to read about. The other reviews also said that this is a fun and exciting book. I thought other wise. The book took a long time to get to the exciting stuff, the last few chapters. The only part that I enjoyed from the book was at the very end. It was incredibly slow, and I ended up having to force myself to read it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A girl detective who will not only make readers swoon, but keep them reading long into the night!, July 20, 2006

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox (Hardcover)

Lulu Dark is ecstatic that summer has finally arrived. She's even come up with an entire course of action for her vacation - sleep in until noon everyday, eat a huge brunch at Little Edie's, sunbathe, and camp out in front of the TV. But her plans are destroyed the moment B-list actress - and Lulu's semi-estranged mother - Isabelle Dark, appears in Halo City to film a new movie, and promptly disappears, pulling Lulu out of her summer vacation reverie, and sticking her in the middle of a good old fashioned mystery. Sure, Lulu's mother has a reputation for being flaky, and forgetful, but even Lulu has a hunch that this time, Isabelle is in real danger. Of course, finding the mysterious note from the so-called Fox, among Isabelle's things doesn't help to make her feel any better about the whole situation, and before she knows it, Lulu realizes that it's up to her to save mommy dearest before something terrible happens to her. Now that Lulu, amateur girl detective, and professional summertime slacker, is on the case, she must do her best to keep her head above water as she crosses paths with some of the strangest characters known to man - from a teen screen queen named Lisa Lincoln (who embodies real teen queen Lindsay Lohan, right down to her auburn hair, and diva-esque attitude), to a fleet of robotic, muscle-bound maids, a dodgy director, and an overweight cross-dresser named Helena, as she searches high and low for her mother, as well as the true identity of the Fox.

LULU DARK CAN SEE THROUGH WALLS was like brain candy, but Bennett Madison has truly outdone himself with its sequel LULU DARK AND THE SUMMER OF THE FOX. Lulu is one of the only girl detectives on the market today for young adult readers, but with the amount of pizzazz, flare, spirit, and adventure she brings along with her, that is quite alright. As in the first book, Lulu is her same crazy, hare-brained scheming self, with a penchant for fancy clothes, hot pink Vespa's, and mysteries. Together with her oft-times crazily clad pal, Daisy, the two teens fly through Halo City (a fictional replica of the Big Apple), as they attempt to save Lulu's mother, and friends. Madison has created a character who is irresistible, and hard to put down; while the supporting characters lacing the story are just as quirky, and interesting to read about. A girl detective who will not only make readers swoon, but keep them reading long into the night!

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I absolutely loved this book, June 17, 2006

By 

Gary H. Cassel "Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews" (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox (Hardcover)

In the sequel to Lulu Dark can see through walls. Lulu finds herself in the midst of another adventure. Lulu's mom a B-list actress has disappeared, and Lulu sets out to find her. Along the way Lulu meets an egotistical up and coming actress, a kung-fu fighting bodygaurd, and a pudgy mommas boy director. only the worst is yet to come a crazy middle aged actress is out in the Hollywood world pulling horrible pranks on unsuspecting actresses, and Lulu knows she is the only one who can stop it.

I absolutely loved this book. Lulu is such a funny protagonist along with her best friends Daisy and Charlie. I could not even put the book down. Even though I would recommend that you read the first book, or you won't understand Lulu. It is completely hilarious and worth reading, if you want a good laugh read Lulu Dark and the Summer of the Fox.

Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews
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