All Shook Up
All Shook Up is a fiction novel written by Shelley Pearsall. The story is about a 13-year-old boy, Josh Greenwood, whose parents are divorced. Most of the time, Josh stays with his mom in Boston. However, when his grandmother becomes injured, Josh's mom has to go to Florida and help her mother recover, while Josh has to stay in Chicago with his dad.
Josh's life has never been normal with his dad before, but when he steps out of his plane, he is appalled to see his dad dressed like Elvis, "king of rock 'n' roll!" He finds out his dad was fired from the shoe store, where he previously worked, and is now an Elvis impersonator. When the school year begins, Josh attempts to fit in, in his new school. He tries to make sure nobody finds out about his dad. Soon, however, Josh begins receiving notes on his locker that suggest someone has figured out his secret. Josh tries to ignore these messages, and even finds his way into the in-crowd, but the notes keep showing up, and haunting him. Josh discovers that his dad has a new girlfriend, with a daughter, Ivory. Ivory dresses up like a hippie. It turns out she has been writing the notes. Josh was afraid some bully was writing them, but his relaxation doesn't stay for long.
Josh begins to see Ivory in school, and tries his best to avoid her, but she starts to get attached to Josh. Ivory is far from popular, and Josh is afraid being seen with her will hurt his reputation. This adds another thing to be concerned about in school. To make things worse, the school is having a 50's party, and "Elvis" has decided to perform at it. The book weaves through many twists and Josh's life really becomes "all shook up!"
I thought the book was hilarious and well-written. It gave Josh personality: in some ways you really want to cheer for him, but others he seems like a huge jerk, and you hope he does not get his way. I recommend this book to anybody who wants to try a new realistic-fiction book with a creative plot.
By: Matty H.