Author: Laura Pedersen

ISBN: 0-345-47956-4

The Big Shuffle is part of a series of books following the adventures (and misadventures) of Hallie Palmer. This was my first time reading a book from this series and I’m very delighted to have come across this book.

It’s difficult to find books written for teenagers, especially teenage girls, which are not filled with trips to the mall, the dilemma of which boy to go to the dance with and all the rest of it. It was wonderful to read a book about a girl who had depth, intelligence, and maturity and worried about something other than how she looked. 

In fact, Hallie Palmer walks around with her hair standing on end (literally) for a good part of the book.

Hallie Palmer is thrust into chaos from the very beginning, as she is faced with the death of her father and put in charge of her eight younger siblings. To top it all, her mother has just checked into Dalewood Rehabilitation Center, "the local nuthouse", as the kids put it, from the shock of her husband’s death. Through it all Hallie puts on her poker face (she has card shark on her list of accomplishments) and deals with everything with wit and patience. To help her along are a cast of eccentric and out of this world characters. My particular favourite, Uncle Lenny, is a sailor with a colorful vocabulary.

Another plus was the way the story was narrated. The story unfolds from Hallie’s perspective and there was none of the condescension and talking down that is sometimes so apparent in young adult novels. Although, I have to admit that at times Hallie sounded a little too grown up. All in all this was an enjoyable read that had me laughing in some parts and really feeling for Hallie in others.

I would recommend this not only to teenagers but anyone who has ever been faced with an overwhelming situation and wondered if they would come out on top. 

The above review was ccontributed by: Deborah Augustin, Prolific reader and reviewer: Click here  to read more of Deborah's Reviews