โWeโre approaching Cat in the Hat level chaos and no oneโs even had breakfast yet.โ
When the death of her father leaves her mother bereft and incapacitated, card shark Hallie Palmer returns home from college to raise Hallieโs eight younger siblings. Hallieโs older brother has a scholarship and a sensible majorโwhich translates to free tuition and desperately needed future income for the family. So itโs 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, Hallieโs 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 Garlandโs most quotable quotesโnot that life is entirely peaceful now that Bernardโs 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 beginnerโs luck doesnโt always last forever doesnโt mean youโre out of the game.
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