All Shook Up

Written by Shelley Pearsall

Narrated by Pierce Cravens

When your life suddenly gets all shook up, can it ever really go back to being normal?

The summer he turns thirteen, Josh finds out he has to live with his divorced dad in Chicago for a few months, and he’s not too thrilled with the idea. He figures he’ll just try to blend in at his new
school until he can get back home.

But when Josh meets his dad at the airport, he can hardly believe the change he sees in his boring shoe-salesman father: new jet-black hair, huge sideburns, and a Hawaiian shirt with orange parrots
(parrots!) on it. Then Josh discovers his dad has even more news— after losing his job, he’s now trying to make a living as Elvis. Yes, Elvis. He’s become a hunk-a, hunk-a burning shame who has no clue
he’s about to ruin Josh’s life.

When his dad is invited to perform at a special fifties concert in his new school, Josh is forced to take drastic action—for his own good, for his dad’s good, and for the general good of society. From
award-winning author Shelley Pearsall comes a hilarious novel about a father and son discovering the important (and sometimes painful) difference between who you want to be—and who you really are.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781980056553

Shelley Pearsall

A former teacher and museum historian, Shelley Pearsall is now a full-time author. Her first novel, Trouble Don’t Last, won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Her other books include Jump into the Sky, Crooked River, All of the Above, and All Shook Up.

Reviews for All Shook Up

[chgrbr14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hiding your face. Embarrassed by who your family is. This is how Josh feels all the time in the realistic fiction book, All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsell. Josh's parents are divorced and when he goes to see his dad he is very shocked at what finds. The store where his dad used to work closed and now his dad is making a living as an Elvis impersonator. Josh doesn't like the idea of his dad's new job and undergoes drastic measures to prove it. I think that this book was really surprising. Everything that Josh did to stop his dad from being Elvis made me go,"he did what!?!?!" I would recommend this book for anybody who likes funny and weird books. This book would probably be for kids grads 6-9. It is an interesting book that I would definatly read again.

[boundtogetherforgood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found out about this book through our son, Matthew. This book is proposed for the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Award for 2011. Matthew's school gave a presentation to fourth graders highlighting some of the proposed titles of the Caudill Award for this year. ALL SHOOK UP is one of the books that interested him.Josh Greenwood is a 13 year old boy who lives in Boston with his mom. When Josh's mom's mother falls and injures herself badly he learns that he must visit his dad for an extended time. His grandma lives in Florida and his mom is going to have to visit there to assist her with her recuperation. Josh's dad lives in Chicago which means that Josh will have to sign up to attend school there, away from all of his friends.Upon arriving in Chicago it isn't long before Josh finds out that the shoe store his dad worked for has gone out of business and his dad is now making money doing gigs...singing as Elvis. Now, while this might sound pretty cool to some adults, Josh is extremely embarrassed at even the thought of it.While living in Chicago Josh meets his dad's new girlfriend Viv, and her daughter, Ivory, as well as an elderly neighbor who is making his dad's Elvis-scarves for his stage shows.The story is told through the eyes of a 13 year old. It's not deep, but it does remind one of how simple the viewpoint of a young teen can be. That said, there is a bit of character growth by the end of the book. I actually thought the book might be a bit more exciting than it was. The story does see Josh make a pretty bad decision that affected his dad worse than his dad's actions were affecting him. There is some resolution to that situation though and it certainly provides a point for discussion with younger readers. One interesting point occurs when Halloween sneaks up on them and they are not prepared; this finds Josh scrambling for a costume and he spends a bit of time wearing some of his dad's Elvis clothing. After doing so he finds that he actually had a bit of fun with it and begins to see things from his dad's side a bit more.My son doesn't know that I have read the book. I bought the ebook for my NOOK. I also bought a hardcover version for him for Christmas. I think he will really enjoy the book and he'll be surprised to hear that Mom has already read it. If he saves enough to buy a NOOK (he received a gift card for B&N for is birthday) he will be pleased to find that he can read the ebook too!I am rating this book a 3.5 on a 5.0 scale.

[gayldashersmith · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute but predictable story of a boy's reunion with his Dad, an Elvis impersonator who is a source of great humiliation.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Despite the really cheesy premise (a teenage boy who is completely embarrassed by his dad's new attempt at a business as an Elvis impersonator), I found this book enjoyable even if predictable. It was light, had a good sense of humor, and quirky characters.

[theresak1975 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another great book from young adult author Pearsall. For this one, she goes contemporary telling the story of Josh who is horrified to find out his father has become an Elvis Presley impersonator. There are a lot of great themes in this one including the pressures of being a child of divorced parents and the importance of accepting others (and yourself) for exactly who they are. I recommend this both for young adults and those of us who remain "young at heart".

[librariankristin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When thirteen-year-old Josh is sent to stay with his father in Chicago for a few months, he discovers, to his horror, that his father has become an Elvis impersonator. At his most vulnerable, a new kid at a middle school, Josh does his best to hide his father's profession from his new friends. This is a nice realistic title from an Ohio author that will appeal to boys.