Rules of the Road - Joan Bauer - 1998

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer


Published: Speak (Penguin ) - 1998
Age Group: Young Adult
Date Read: June 30, 2012
4 of 5 Stars: Full of humor, fun, and strength

Reason for Reading: I had read one of Bauer's other books, and my mother had actually picked this up from the library, so I read it while visiting my parents.

On GoodReads: Jenna Boller is too tall for a sophomore and she's not much good in school. Her sister Faith got all the looks in the family, but boy, can Jenna sell shoes! She's supremely happy at her after-school job at Gladstone's, where the big white sign over the door says "We're Not Just Selling Shoes, We're Selling Quality." When elderly Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, the crusty president of the company, chooses Jenna as her driver on a business trip to visit other Gladstone's stores, Jenna goes reluctantly--with trepidation at driving the huge Cadillac, and at the prospect of leaving her alcoholic father behind. But on the road, Jenna learns "great road truths" such as "Never eat at a place called Mom's, because it's a safe bet Mom's been dead for years." She also proves to be indispensable (possessing an eagle eye for shoddy quality and sloppy service), and soon learns to admire and love the irascible Mrs. Gladstone as well as her old friend, "World's Best Shoe Salesman" Harry Bender. When Harry dies suddenly, Jenna realizes that she wishes he had been her father. Trouble looms in the form of a company takeover by Mrs. Gladstone's sleazy son, Elden, "Shoe Rodent," but Jenna summons courage from Harry's memory and saves the day for quality shoes. 


My Thoughts: This book was so funny at times, and so touching and heartfelt at others. It was very tame compared to many more recently written YA books, but it worked well. I liked seeing Jenna find her strength and confidence over the Summer she worked for Mrs. Gladstone. Bauer seems to always write good, strong female characters that have some type of work-force talent, which I find really enjoyable. Jenna's struggle with her father's alcoholism is very realistic, though a bit cheesy at times, and her final confrontation with him shows how much she has grown and changed over the course of the book. The side characters were also wonderfully written and unique. Bonus: Road trip.

Recommended To: If you liked Joan Bauer's Hope Was Here, or if you like road trip novels, like Morgan Matson's Amy & Roger's Epic Detour or Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

Quote From The Book: "The car was pointed away from the garage door, which meant that to get the car out, I would have to back it up. I was a C-minus backer-upper.
"A Cadillac, Floyd always said, is entirely trustworthy. It has been tested in any and all conditions and will perform to the utmost to protect its driver."
Was this a car or a Seeing Eye dog?" (p. 27)

Books Read This Year: 53 of 100

Currently Reading: The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

YA Lit Week Three: Hope Was Here - Joan Bauer - 2000

This book was read for the third week of the YA Lit course.

Course Theme for the Week: Independence: The Journey (2-9-2011)

Title: Hope Was Here

Author: Joan Bauer

Year: 2000 (republished 2005)

Publisher: Speak

Date Read: 2-2-2011

Overall: * * * * (4/5)

Amazon Blurb: One new life, coming right up. Hope's used to thinking on her feet - she hasn't become a terrific waitress by accident. But when she and her aunt move from New York City to a small town in Wisconsin to run the local diner, she isn't sure she'll fit in. Luckily, she doesn't have much time to brood. G.T., the owner, has decided to run for mayor, an no one in town knows what to think. After all, G.T. has leukemia. And his opponent is the unscrupulous current mayor, who will do or say anything to win the election. Hope knows that G.T. is up against the odds=but his visiton of the future is so vivid and good that she can't help but join the campaign. Because, after all, everyone could use a little hope to get through the touch times. Even Hope herself.

My Review: As I was reading this book, I got the feeling I'd read it before, probably when I was a freshman in high school, back when I did nothing to keep track of the books I read. I really enjoyed the story though, it really is filled with hope. Hope, the character, was wonderfully strong and courageous, it felt like I was right there with her, rooting for the truth. The side characters were special too, G.T. and Addie, Braverman, Lou Ellen... they were all so well-written and had such great and individual personalities. I've said it before, but I really enjoy when you can't tell that each character was written by the same person.

I think there were a few important lessons that readers of this book can pick up on. First, somewhat obviously, is hope. That Hope chose the word for her name, and that there had to be so much of it in the lives of the patrons of the Welcome Stairways diner. Second, is that teenagers, and town members of any age, can work together to make a difference in things that matter, as long as they believe in what they're doing. Third, is that there are so many different types of family. Hope was holding out for her real father, when what she found was a very real father who just didn't happen to be here biological father. Addie, her aunt, was very much a mother to her, because her biological mother had no idea how or any desire to be a mother to her.

I think this book is great for middle school ages and up. Advanced elementary school children might enjoy it as well. I think the food analogies and the bits of warmth and humor will really pull in readers of all ages, because it's such a sweet story.

To Purchase: Amazon

Currently Reading: Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

Currently Listening To: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (read by Carolyn McCormick)

Books Read in 2011: 15