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Hallie Palmer #3
The Big Shuffle
“We’re approaching Cat in the Hat level chaos and no one’s even had breakfast yet.”
When the death of her father leaves her mother bereft and incapacitated, card shark Hallie Palmer returns home from college to raise Hallie’s eight younger siblings. Hallie’s older brother has a scholarship and a sensible major–which translates to free tuition and desperately needed future income for the family. So it’s up to Hallie to deal herself in as head of the chaotic household.
But even after the invasion of those well-meaning, casserole-carrying purveyors of comfort the local church ladies, Hallie’s in a downward spiral. Thank goodness for old friends like Bernard and Gil, now proud parents, who keep Hallie afloat with good humor, brilliant organizational skills, and Judy Garland’s most quotable quotes–not that life is entirely peaceful now that Bernard’s wise, willful, and delightfully outrageous mother, Olivia, is back from Europe with a big (and shockingly young) surprise.
Through it all, Hallie discovers that life can indeed turn on a dime, and that every coin has two sides plus an edge. Just because beginner’s luck doesn’t always last forever doesn’t mean you’re out of the game.
When the death of her father leaves her mother bereft and incapacitated, card shark Hallie Palmer returns home from college to raise Hallie’s eight younger siblings. Hallie’s older brother has a scholarship and a sensible major–which translates to free tuition and desperately needed future income for the family. So it’s up to Hallie to deal herself in as head of the chaotic household.
But even after the invasion of those well-meaning, casserole-carrying purveyors of comfort the local church ladies, Hallie’s in a downward spiral. Thank goodness for old friends like Bernard and Gil, now proud parents, who keep Hallie afloat with good humor, brilliant organizational skills, and Judy Garland’s most quotable quotes–not that life is entirely peaceful now that Bernard’s wise, willful, and delightfully outrageous mother, Olivia, is back from Europe with a big (and shockingly young) surprise.
Through it all, Hallie discovers that life can indeed turn on a dime, and that every coin has two sides plus an edge. Just because beginner’s luck doesn’t always last forever doesn’t mean you’re out of the game.
387 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2006
6 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Laura Pedersen
24 books42 followersLaura Pedersen was born in Buffalo, New York (one of "God's frozen people") in 1965, at the height of The Folk Music Scare. (For details of misspent youth see essay at 'Is there a Nurse in the Church?'). After finishing high school in 1983 she moved to Manhattan and began working on The American Stock Exchange, a time when showing up combined with basic computation skills could be parlayed into a career. She chronicled these years in her first book, Play Money.
Having vowed to become anything but a journalist and with no conception of what a semicolon does, Laura spent the better part of the 1990s writing for The New York Times.
In 1994 President Clinton honored her as one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans. She has appeared on TV shows including Oprah, Good Morning America, Primetime Live, and David Letterman.
In 2001, her first novel, Going Away Party, won the Three Oaks Prize for Fiction and was published by Storyline Press. Beginner's Luck was published by Ballantine Books in 2003 and subsequently chosen for the Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" program, Borders "Original Voices," and as a featured alternate for The Literary Guild.
Pedersen's other novels include Last Call, Heart's Desire, and The Big Shuffle.
Laura lives in New York City, teaches reading and trades Yu-Gi-Oh! cards at the Booker T. Washington Learning Center in East Harlem, and is a member of the national literary association P.E.N. (poets, essayists and novelists).
Having vowed to become anything but a journalist and with no conception of what a semicolon does, Laura spent the better part of the 1990s writing for The New York Times.
In 1994 President Clinton honored her as one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans. She has appeared on TV shows including Oprah, Good Morning America, Primetime Live, and David Letterman.
In 2001, her first novel, Going Away Party, won the Three Oaks Prize for Fiction and was published by Storyline Press. Beginner's Luck was published by Ballantine Books in 2003 and subsequently chosen for the Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" program, Borders "Original Voices," and as a featured alternate for The Literary Guild.
Pedersen's other novels include Last Call, Heart's Desire, and The Big Shuffle.
Laura lives in New York City, teaches reading and trades Yu-Gi-Oh! cards at the Booker T. Washington Learning Center in East Harlem, and is a member of the national literary association P.E.N. (poets, essayists and novelists).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 14, 2020
I found myself with different appreciation for this book after having gone through a similar loss in my own life. In many ways this felt like a realistic portrayal of the emotions, thoughts, and weird day-to-day life things that come after a moment like this.
October 2, 2018
I gave this book three stars even though I could not get halfway through it before giving up out of boredom, the reason being that as a stand-alone it is probably quite good, and the ratings here seem to attest to that. Personally I only give it like a star and a half simply because I loved the first two in this series so much, and because I loved them so much for one big reason: The Stocktons. My aunt sent me Beginner's Luck and then Heart's Desire probably 15 years ago. They were easy, feel-good reads but I loved loved LOVED Bernard, Olivia and Gil. Hallie's great, but it's her relationship with this fantastic family that made the books what they were. Her real family didn't play much of a part.
The Big Shuffle is the opposite, the Stocktons DEFINITELY take a back seat. So like I said, by itself this book is probably good. For me, it just doesn't work without the Stocktons as central characters.
The Big Shuffle is the opposite, the Stocktons DEFINITELY take a back seat. So like I said, by itself this book is probably good. For me, it just doesn't work without the Stocktons as central characters.
July 7, 2022
This book followed a large family and how they dealt with grief. A young women with her whole life ahead of her suddenly had to be responsible for seven kids. I did enjoy the premise of the book but it did feel rather rushed. For me it felt like the author was overwhelmed with maintaining fifteen characters, there was not enough time for development nor the plot.
However, I think the author does a good job in depicting how grief can pile up if not addressed. This book is apart of a trilogy, but it does read clearly as a stand alone. I probably would not read the other books due to a lack of interest. The main character was rather boring.
However, I think the author does a good job in depicting how grief can pile up if not addressed. This book is apart of a trilogy, but it does read clearly as a stand alone. I probably would not read the other books due to a lack of interest. The main character was rather boring.
May 8, 2024
The first book in the series was great, and the books went downhill from there. Would not waste my time reading this. What made the first book so much fun were the stocktons. As they played less and less a role in the books, the stories became less interesting.
June 12, 2017
I appreciate the wacky side stories and big family chaos. Fun to read.
May 4, 2019
I read the 1st 2 books in the series years ago. Finally had a chance to read this one and enjoyed it.
September 7, 2019
3rd of a fun series....enjoying the characters
August 21, 2021
What a nice story. It made me a bit anxious at times because of a family of 10 children! But in the end, it was just a feel good kind of story.
November 28, 2012
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
Hallie Palmer just wants to be a normal college student. But that idea has just flown out the window of the frat party she got pulled away from. Her dad just passed away, which caused her mom to have a nervous breakdown. The doctor's send her mom to Dalewood, the local mental institution, for rest and recovery.
With Dad gone, and Mom in the "nuthouse", Hallie is back in the place she worked so hard to escape, home. Now she has to arrange a funeral, take care of her eight younger brothers and sisters, sort through insurance information, conquer the growing stack of bills, and figure out which twin brother is which. (If only the ribbon had stayed in place!) Not to mention the runaway sister, the burst pipes in the basement, an on-again off-again boyfriend, and meetings with the school principal who still doesn't like her. Hallie's got her work cut out for her, and she's pretty sure she's done for.
Help, and sometimes entertainment, come in strange forms, and Hallie learns that beggars can't be choosers. From the churchwomen brigade who feed them, to crazy Uncle Lenny, who has some questionable ideas about bedtime stories (among other things), to a babysitting chimp, to even crazier Aunt Lala who's more than a little absentminded... It may not be much of a life, but it certainly isn't boring!
This is not the first book about Hallie Palmer, but I can say from experience that it stands alone. (Having not read any of the others at this point, though I think I may have to do that now.) I do rather feel like I might have had more connection to the secondary characters if I had read the other books. (It took me awhile to figure out that Gil and Bernard were both men.) Nonetheless, I still found them lovable and entertaining. While I found Hallie a little frustrating at times, it helped to realize that I would be more than lost in that situation. There is a lot going on in this book, but it never felt jumbled or lost. I don't know if Hallie and I would be friends, but I certainly like the people she hangs around with!
Hallie Palmer just wants to be a normal college student. But that idea has just flown out the window of the frat party she got pulled away from. Her dad just passed away, which caused her mom to have a nervous breakdown. The doctor's send her mom to Dalewood, the local mental institution, for rest and recovery.
With Dad gone, and Mom in the "nuthouse", Hallie is back in the place she worked so hard to escape, home. Now she has to arrange a funeral, take care of her eight younger brothers and sisters, sort through insurance information, conquer the growing stack of bills, and figure out which twin brother is which. (If only the ribbon had stayed in place!) Not to mention the runaway sister, the burst pipes in the basement, an on-again off-again boyfriend, and meetings with the school principal who still doesn't like her. Hallie's got her work cut out for her, and she's pretty sure she's done for.
Help, and sometimes entertainment, come in strange forms, and Hallie learns that beggars can't be choosers. From the churchwomen brigade who feed them, to crazy Uncle Lenny, who has some questionable ideas about bedtime stories (among other things), to a babysitting chimp, to even crazier Aunt Lala who's more than a little absentminded... It may not be much of a life, but it certainly isn't boring!
This is not the first book about Hallie Palmer, but I can say from experience that it stands alone. (Having not read any of the others at this point, though I think I may have to do that now.) I do rather feel like I might have had more connection to the secondary characters if I had read the other books. (It took me awhile to figure out that Gil and Bernard were both men.) Nonetheless, I still found them lovable and entertaining. While I found Hallie a little frustrating at times, it helped to realize that I would be more than lost in that situation. There is a lot going on in this book, but it never felt jumbled or lost. I don't know if Hallie and I would be friends, but I certainly like the people she hangs around with!
February 27, 2012
The Big Shuffle was a good book, but I didn't realize when I checked it out of the library that it was the third book in a series. If I had realized that, I would have read the first 2 first. But, the story was still good so by the time I realized it was later in a series I didn't want to stop with the story.
The main character is Hallie, the second oldest child in a family with 10 kids(yes, you read that right, I said 10 kids). The central point of the story is that Hallie's father dies, and everything is kind of revolving around that. Hallie has to leave college to come take care of the kids, especially since her mother is in shock and gets sent to the local mental institution. Her big brother Eric has a football scholarship for college, so he literally can't miss any games or he'll get kicked out. He's also set to graduate next year in something that will make good money (accounting, I think) so basically all of the family responsibility falls to Hallie. The sister under her decides to run away, so she's really up shit creek without a paddle. Thankfully her community is pretty supportive and she has random help from different sources (a pastor, the church ladies, a gay couple she works for/lived with, etc).
In a series things are a little less linear than in a book, IMO. There are always references to things in the past and tiny bits of information that doesn't really mean as much to you without reading what has happened previously. So while I really enjoyed this book, I can't help but feel like I didn't "get" it as much as I would've after reading the first 2 in the series. I would like to one day read those and then re-read this so everything "clicks," KWIM?
The main character is Hallie, the second oldest child in a family with 10 kids(yes, you read that right, I said 10 kids). The central point of the story is that Hallie's father dies, and everything is kind of revolving around that. Hallie has to leave college to come take care of the kids, especially since her mother is in shock and gets sent to the local mental institution. Her big brother Eric has a football scholarship for college, so he literally can't miss any games or he'll get kicked out. He's also set to graduate next year in something that will make good money (accounting, I think) so basically all of the family responsibility falls to Hallie. The sister under her decides to run away, so she's really up shit creek without a paddle. Thankfully her community is pretty supportive and she has random help from different sources (a pastor, the church ladies, a gay couple she works for/lived with, etc).
In a series things are a little less linear than in a book, IMO. There are always references to things in the past and tiny bits of information that doesn't really mean as much to you without reading what has happened previously. So while I really enjoyed this book, I can't help but feel like I didn't "get" it as much as I would've after reading the first 2 in the series. I would like to one day read those and then re-read this so everything "clicks," KWIM?
May 17, 2008
What a difference from the first book. The series has gone from quirky and funny to a Lifetime movie.
What follows feels spoilerish, but I promise, it isn't: the "spoiler" is revealed in the back cover blurb and happens in the book within the first 15 pages.
Hallie's father dies, her mom has a breakdown, her father has remarkably inadequate life insurance for someone who has ten kids, Hallie's older brother has a scholarship, and so 19-year-old Hallie has to drop out of college to take care of siblings who range in age from 2 months to 16 years.
Unlike the previous 2 books, which were unrealistic and funny, this one was unrealistic and--well, not depressing. For it to be depressing it would have had to be more believable. I'm not going to go into the details, but I will say this: two of the siblings are 2 month old twins who seem to sleep through the night, eat things like strained peas, and eat only 3 times a day.
So why did I give it 3 stars? Well, in spite of being exasperated with the book, I still like the characters and still really enjoyed reading it. Bernard, Gil, and Olivia appeared often enough that they saved it for me.
Pedersen has said she is writing one more Hallie Palmer novel--I hope it focuses back on the Stocktons. I think Hallie operates best as an observer of their family dynamics, rather than a character on her own.
What follows feels spoilerish, but I promise, it isn't: the "spoiler" is revealed in the back cover blurb and happens in the book within the first 15 pages.
Hallie's father dies, her mom has a breakdown, her father has remarkably inadequate life insurance for someone who has ten kids, Hallie's older brother has a scholarship, and so 19-year-old Hallie has to drop out of college to take care of siblings who range in age from 2 months to 16 years.
Unlike the previous 2 books, which were unrealistic and funny, this one was unrealistic and--well, not depressing. For it to be depressing it would have had to be more believable. I'm not going to go into the details, but I will say this: two of the siblings are 2 month old twins who seem to sleep through the night, eat things like strained peas, and eat only 3 times a day.
So why did I give it 3 stars? Well, in spite of being exasperated with the book, I still like the characters and still really enjoyed reading it. Bernard, Gil, and Olivia appeared often enough that they saved it for me.
Pedersen has said she is writing one more Hallie Palmer novel--I hope it focuses back on the Stocktons. I think Hallie operates best as an observer of their family dynamics, rather than a character on her own.
May 30, 2012
I was quite disappointed with this book. I'd just finished reading Heart's Desire, which was the prequel to this which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was so eager to read this book, but found it extremely un-intriguing (is that a word?) and boring with a forced plot line. The author decided to have Hallie's dad die?! Not that deaths aren't sad, but that plot twist seemed dramatic. If there were to be drama, shouldn't the characters be dramatic too? Hallie, Bernard and the rest of her family didn't even seem sad at all (except for her mother...well she was "in shock". *rolls eyes*). I didn't feel any emotion or sympathy towards the characters as usual. Come to think of it, I don't recall many times when Hallie mentioned sadness or grief (which she was SUPPOSED to feel), but just talked about how much easier it would be if her dad were alive. So, I just rolled my eyes during most of the book and finished through, while I hoped that it would get better. This novel lacked the pizazz and humor that was eminent in the last novel. The author failed to bring anything good to this book. However, I suppose since there was a death in the family that it was appropiate to be a bit dull, but shouldn't grief be more preeminent? i gave this book 3/5 stars-- and I'm usually a sucker for good novels! Oh wait, this novel sucked..
April 20, 2009
The Big Shuffle
This book is about a 18 year old Hallie Palmer who is in the second semester of her sophomore year in college but has to leave when she gets a phone call stating that her father had a fatal heart attack and dies. Hallie must go home because her mother has went into shock and is unable to take care for her eight children still at home, six under th age of ten, including twin boys only five months old.
It is agree that Hallie will take a leave of absence from school to manage the family Her older brother Eric who is now 20 years old is an engineering student on a full scholarship, and with finances now more precarious than ever, it is in everyone's best interest that he graduates on schedule and pursue professional employment.
Hallie must pay the bills, insurance policies, taking care of the kids.Hallie has her ups and downs trying to keep her younger brothers and sisters afloat and it is not an easy job,Hallie takes on a lot of responsibility.
At the end of the book Hallie's mom come back and is better and the children are very happy to see her.Hallie also returns to college and gets started back up on her school work that she has
missed.
This book is about a 18 year old Hallie Palmer who is in the second semester of her sophomore year in college but has to leave when she gets a phone call stating that her father had a fatal heart attack and dies. Hallie must go home because her mother has went into shock and is unable to take care for her eight children still at home, six under th age of ten, including twin boys only five months old.
It is agree that Hallie will take a leave of absence from school to manage the family Her older brother Eric who is now 20 years old is an engineering student on a full scholarship, and with finances now more precarious than ever, it is in everyone's best interest that he graduates on schedule and pursue professional employment.
Hallie must pay the bills, insurance policies, taking care of the kids.Hallie has her ups and downs trying to keep her younger brothers and sisters afloat and it is not an easy job,Hallie takes on a lot of responsibility.
At the end of the book Hallie's mom come back and is better and the children are very happy to see her.Hallie also returns to college and gets started back up on her school work that she has
missed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2016
This book felt like something I would have written when I was in middle school. Take a girl trying to start her own life in college, add a family disaster, and force her to come home and take over as both parents to 8 younger siblings. I always liked to write about large families because it was so easy - you have so many characters and so many possibilities of things that can reasonably happen.
I thought the story was a little unbelievable, the characters were all slightly annoying. I almost didn't finish it, but ended up skimming parts and getting to the end.
It was a decent read, but when I realized about thirty pages in that it was a sequel to a book I read this summer, a forgettable event, I probably should have put it down then and saved myself the slight frustration of reading an almost-good book. I consider that to be the kind of book where you get about halfway through and don't care enough about the characters to really want to finish it, but you're not ready to just close the book in case it gets a little better.
I thought the story was a little unbelievable, the characters were all slightly annoying. I almost didn't finish it, but ended up skimming parts and getting to the end.
It was a decent read, but when I realized about thirty pages in that it was a sequel to a book I read this summer, a forgettable event, I probably should have put it down then and saved myself the slight frustration of reading an almost-good book. I consider that to be the kind of book where you get about halfway through and don't care enough about the characters to really want to finish it, but you're not ready to just close the book in case it gets a little better.
September 30, 2008
This book is very overwhelming. Well, actually, the storyline is. Here’s a protagonist who has to drop out of college to take care of her eight younger siblings because her family is suffering financially due to her father’s death and her mother’s mental breakdown. There’s a priest who helps her tuck her siblings into bed every night and sends them to school in the morning. There’s a gay best friend for moral support. And there are Church ladies who stop by your houses to stock your refrigerator and clean up the place.
It doesn’t start overwhelmingly. In fact, the beginning was quite good—as decent as it could have been without me having ever read the previous two books. But as soon as Hallie drops out of college, it’s been disaster after disaster. She has nine siblings. Think about the tantrums, questions, and fights. I have one brother and he drives me crazy already. So it’s just really hard for me to get into the story.
It doesn’t start overwhelmingly. In fact, the beginning was quite good—as decent as it could have been without me having ever read the previous two books. But as soon as Hallie drops out of college, it’s been disaster after disaster. She has nine siblings. Think about the tantrums, questions, and fights. I have one brother and he drives me crazy already. So it’s just really hard for me to get into the story.
October 18, 2013
I really enjoyed all the antics of the big family coming into play. All of the minor characters I found I didn't care about- but I didn't have the emotional investment from the previous two books. There is nothing on the cover to indicate that there are 2 previous books, or that it is a young adult novel. I always understood what was going on but sometimes had trouble keeping people straight. Adults come in and out to help Hallie as mere plot devices. I didn't feel that Hallie had much of an emotional arc, and like I read with someone else's review, she doesn't spend much time dealing with the emotions of her father's death. She has more emotions because of a breakup.
Good enough novel to read for fluff, not good enough to find the 2 previous books.
Good enough novel to read for fluff, not good enough to find the 2 previous books.
October 28, 2007
So far this book is a bit of a whirlwind. The beginning, which is where I'm still stuck at, has the father of 10 children from 10 week identical twins to 20 somethings dying of a heart attack and the mother unable to cope with the shock, is hospitalized so far.
I'm not getting a real feel for the characters yet, and thats always a hardship for me, but the story has promise.
This, I found out, is the third installment to the Hallie story. It didn't spend much time on character development, and I never got a feeling for really any of the characters beyond shallow speculation from dialogue and reaction.
Not sure I'd take the time to read the next book, or the ones that came before.
I'm not getting a real feel for the characters yet, and thats always a hardship for me, but the story has promise.
This, I found out, is the third installment to the Hallie story. It didn't spend much time on character development, and I never got a feeling for really any of the characters beyond shallow speculation from dialogue and reaction.
Not sure I'd take the time to read the next book, or the ones that came before.
June 26, 2011
Hallie Palmer is away at school when she gets word that her father has had a heart attack, Hallie then has to quit school in order to take care of her 8 younger brothers and sisters.
This is a teen read and while parts are completely unrealistic flights of fancy the story for the most was enjoyable. As I a not a teen I felt Hallie's parents were completely irresponsible but since this book was about Hallie it deals more with how her fathers death affects her place in the family and the sacrifices that she makes to help her family.
There were parts that I laughed out loud in places! If you enjoy "Yours, Mine and Ours" this is very similar.
This is a teen read and while parts are completely unrealistic flights of fancy the story for the most was enjoyable. As I a not a teen I felt Hallie's parents were completely irresponsible but since this book was about Hallie it deals more with how her fathers death affects her place in the family and the sacrifices that she makes to help her family.
There were parts that I laughed out loud in places! If you enjoy "Yours, Mine and Ours" this is very similar.
August 21, 2007
i liked this book a lot! it was a really great story. it's all about this 18 year old who had to take over raising her 9 brothers and sisters when her father died and her mom couldn't cope. definitely shed some tears and just liked the book a lot. i'll probably need to read some other books by this author.
ps jessica this probably isn't a book that you want to read right now - go with a fun comedy!
ps jessica this probably isn't a book that you want to read right now - go with a fun comedy!
August 15, 2009
This is a very funny book. This is a teen fiction book, a genre I don't normally read, other than Sweet Valley High and Lisa Tucker's Shout Down the Moon, a book a read last year. This is set in Ohio which is a plus, and deals with life's challenges, from a loss in the family to life's surprises along the way and over a year. Lots of clever analogies and similies and metaphors with zesty humor. It's a good and quick easy read.
July 5, 2008
I did not realize that this was the third in a series and the author gives no clues as to what has happened before--it is if you have to be all seeing. I caught myself more than once thinking, wait, who on earth is this and why am I supposed to know all about him/her? Most series books do give you at least a little background but here there was none
December 21, 2009
This book wasn't like the other two in the series. The first half was sad and anxiety filled. I cried more than I laughed this time around. It was crisis filled with the death of a father and the loss of the mother for some time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2011
Good book! Loved Hallie - she was funny and I really enjoyed her narration! Tragedy turns her life upside down and she has to go from college kid to grown up immediately. There's sadness, but also warmth and humor! Loved it!
January 17, 2009
This book was ok. It was about a college girl who had to move home when her dad died to help take care of her siblings. Not anything great that I'd recommend.
August 24, 2009
Hallie 3
September 28, 2014
***Read first on February 27, 2009*** A wonderful instalment within the series.
June 15, 2010
supremely easy beach read. entertaining enough.
November 7, 2012
Hallie Palmer's father dies and she quits college to take care of her 8 younger siblings. She has a good friend Bernard, who is gay. They live in Cleveland, OH.
October 7, 2013
The first two were better. Still, time spent with the Stockton tribe is never wasted.
May 19, 2012
Didn't finish- figured it wasn't worth my time 3/4 way through.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews