Summer means freedom to do (and read!) anything you want. Whether you’re headed to camp, relaxing poolside, road trip bound for a family vacay, or spending the summer on the couch with a pile of books, Meet Me at Wonderland is the ultimate summery read packed with theme park antics, coworker crushes, and…moose mascots?
In Meet Me at Wonderland, Coco is excited to spend her summer working at Wonderland Adventure Park, the theme park that her family has owned since the 1960s. But she’s only fourteen, which means starting at the bottom, even if she’s family. So instead of taking charge, she’s stuck sweating inside the Morty the Moose mascot costume. After a stinky first shift, her manager introduces her to Henry, a super cute coworker who’s kinda grumpy about spending the summer at Wonderland when he’d rather be on the soccer field.
A girl with a summer job at her family’s amusement park crushes on a coworker who’d rather be working anywhere else in this fun and flirty middle grade rom-com.
Fourteen-year-old Coco is Morty the Moose for the summer—the official mascot for her family’s business, Wonderland Adventure Park. Her first shift in the claustrophobic and stinky moose costume comes in the middle of a heatwave, and of course it’s when she emerges a sweaty mess that her manager introduces her to the new hire, Henry…the cutest boy Coco has ever seen.
Henry can’t believe his parents are forcing him to work at this dorky theme park. He’d much rather be hanging with his friends and working on his soccer game, but recovery from a bad injury would have kept him sidelined anyway. Being deathly afraid of heights, Henry hopes he can at least do his job without going on any of the rides.
After their first awkward meeting, Coco and Henry start to warm up to each other, and Coco confides in him about the park’s financial struggles. Soon, she thinks she like likes Henry…a lot. As the weeks go on, Henry’s dad starts asking oddly specific questions about his job, and Henry starts to suspect there’s more to his parents insisting on him working at the park than he thought. When a malfunctioning new ride leaves Henry and Coco stranded at the top, Henry’s worst nightmare comes true and secrets get revealed.
Meet Me at Wonderland
AUTHOR: Julia DeVillers
PUBLISHER: Aladdin
DATE: May 20, 2025
When Coco overhears that her family might have to sell the park due to financial troubles, she’s devastated, and Henry’s amazing ideas to keep the park thriving make her a little prickly. When he shares a playlist with her, friendship (and crushes) start to blossom, and they start to get close, confiding in each other about everything they’re anxious about, from family stuff to the park’s financial struggles. But there’s a secret looming behind the scenes that could ruin everything between them, and when they get stuck at the top of a malfunctioning ride, tensions rise and secrets start to spill.
Meet Me at Wonderland feels like being at your favorite amusement park. The rush of new experiences, the thrill of a first crush, the stomach-dropping sensation when everything starts to go wrong, and the absolute bliss of turning page after page as you go along for the ride.
Author Julia DeVillers is taking you beyond the pages of this sweet, swoony, summery read! Keep reading as she shares fun facts about the story, including her own experience as an iconic mascot!
Author Julia DeVillers Shares 5 Fun Facts About Meet Me at Wonderland:
The Inspiration Behind Morty the Moose
When I was a teen, I worked at…Chuck E. Cheese. Yup, I dressed up as a giant New Jersey Sewer Rat for work. My editor, Alyson, thought a moose would be the perfect mascot—iconic to upstate New York, hilariously awkward (try walking with giant antlers!), and full of moose-tastic pun potential.
What’s It Like to Be in a Mascot Costume?
Coco’s first job at Wonderland is playing Costume, and it’s way harder than it looks. The suit is heavy, sweaty, and impossible to see out of (the eye holes are in the moose’s mouth!). But there’s something magical about it—you’re anonymous yet beloved. Here’s a never seen deleted snippet from the book:
“In Costume, I could do the silly dance. I couldn’t say anything dumb because I wasn’t allowed to talk. It was freeing. I saw everything with fresh eyes—like I was part of the park but invisible at the same time.”
That’s how I felt!
Henry’s Castle Is Real (Sort Of)
Henry’s house is inspired by a real place—The Highlands Castle, perched above Lake George, NY. Built in the 1980s by John Lavender as a promise to his son that he could someday have a real castle, it’s now a private rental for events and overnight stays. No one actually lives there, but I thought, why not let Henry have it?
The MegaWhirl Is Based on a Real Ride
Wonderland’s big new ride, the MegaWhirl, is my take on the terrifying drop tower at Kings Dominion. I watched endless videos of thrill-seekers riding it to nail the details. Unlike Coco, I’m way too chicken to get on one myself. Henry gets it—he hates heights too. But it’s fun to watch videos vicariously.
The Wunderground Is a Creepy Amusement Park Time Capsule
Wonderland’s secret basement, the Wunderground, is filled with broken ride parts, extra prizes, and—most disturbingly—out-of-order animatronic characters. Why would the family keep them? Who knows. But it’s basically a built-in haunted house. Perfect for Halloween!
💖LOVE CRUSH-WORTHY STORIES?: Meet Emma and Jackson from The Wish Switch by Lynn Painter as they share their advice for crushing it on the first day of school! CLICK HERE!
