BIG RIG by Louise Hawes

 

I was truly excited about this book when I heard about it. It did not disappoint!

Hazel is better known by her "handle" Hazmat. She has been riding with her trucker father since she was four years old. Now at age eleven she is indispensable. She helps keep the record books and acts as navigator as they travel back and forth across the country.

There is a third passenger Hazel and her father often consult. She rides in a green marble box on the dash. The box contains the remains of Hazel's mother who died just after Hazel was born. Hazel lived with the Shields until she was four when she joined her father on the road. She has been homeschooled by her dad and together they frequently discuss decisions with that green marble box making it feel like her mother is still with them.

The adventures as the big rig Leonardo carries driver, passengers, and cargo are many. Runaways, an abandoned baby, dangers of a flash flood are just a few. Each adventure brings Hazel and her father closer as it solidifies that life on the road is better than any other.

Author Louise Hawes combines trucking, unique characters, and loving relationships to capture readers on page one. BIG RIG is on my top ten list for middle grade books of 2022,