βWeβre approaching Cat in the Hat level chaos and no oneβs even had breakfast yet.β
When the death of her father leaves her mother bereft and incapacitated, card shark Hallie Palmer returns home from college to raise Hallieβs eight younger siblings. Hallieβs older brother has a scholarship and a sensible majorβwhich translates to free tuition and desperately needed future income for the family. So itβs 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, Hallieβs 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 Garlandβs most quotable quotesβnot that life is entirely peaceful now that Bernardβs 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 beginnerβs luck doesnβt always last forever doesnβt mean youβre out of the game.
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