Rules of the Road

Joan Bauer has won multiple awards for her young adult fiction. The heroine in this book, Jenna Boller, is a down-to-earth, self-consciously tall 16-year-old teenager who is more mature than her years. She has had to help raise her younger sister since her now-single mother works the night shift as a nurse to support the three of them. Her father is an alcoholic. Her grandmother, who was always her best friend when Jenna was growing up, has developed Alzheimer’s.

Jenna has a job selling shoes at Gladstone’s, a purveyor of quality shoes that is about to be sold to a big company more interested in sales than soles, as Jenna would say. Her aged and wealthy boss, Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, hires Jenna to drive her from Chicago down to show more Dallas to attend the stockholders meeting at which Mrs. Gladstone will try to stop the takeover, even though it is spearheaded by her own son, Elden. The trip takes six weeks, since Mrs. Gladstone wants to stop and inspect stores along the way. Jenna helps out by pretending to be a customer so she can make “stealth” evaluations for Mrs. Gladstone.

When they reach Dallas, Jenna gets to meet the top shoe salesman in the country, Harry Bender. Bender, who is a recovered alcoholic, takes her under his wing and teaches her about caring, not just for others, but also for herself. By the time Jenna has arrived home, she has changed quite a bit, but so has her family: “We’d all been on journeys this summer.”

Discussion: Bauer, herself the daughter of an alcoholic, provides an excellent portrait of the family dynamics that ensue from living with an alcoholic. She shows us the pain, the coping mechanisms, the hopes and the dashed hopes, and yet manages not to paint too maudlin a picture. Moreover, she also gives a sympathetic and loving description of what happens with Alzheimer’s disease. Jenna, like the character Hope in Bauer’s later book Hope Was Here, is constantly trying to find the bright side, and yet not cloyingly so. Her problems don’t go away, but the way she deals with them undergoes a big change as she matures and gains confidence.

Evaluation: This is a warm book that will inspire other young teens dealing with problems to be survivors. Jenna’s motto is to focus, both on what really matters in life, and on solutions to problems rather than on dwelling on the negatives. Bauer is an optimist, but her optimism is grounded in real hardships. Her message, that these trials can make you stronger instead of knocking you down, is a great one for teens. show less

I think Joan Bauer is becoming my favorite YA author! I love every book of hers that I have read so far, and this one is no exception. The characters are bigger than life and the storyline is wonderful. The subplots (Jenna's grandmother with Alzheimers, her alcoholic father, etc.) are woven into the main story very skillfully and add additional depth. Jenna's personal and social maturation are something to behold as she deals with her alcoholic father, relates both compassionately and honestly to the imperialistic Mrs. Gladstone, discovers her own personal strengths and integrity, etc. Highly Recommended!

Now, I really enjoyed this adventure. Bauer is a talented author to get readers (at least me) fascinated with shoes and the shoe business. Bauer treats very serious situations with humor in a way that works--not an easy task, I think. I love the characters of Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone. Having just had foot surgery a little over a month ago, I had already started to look at shoes differently. I used to always dress very professionally as a teacher (blazers, high heels, and such). Had to ditch the heels--before and since surgery--bummer since I'm barely 5' 2" and had to start wearing sneakers to school. My professional wardrobe doesn't look so good with sneakers, so I've had to adjust my wardrobe. Students have responded very positively show more and I connected with several students because of it. The point is, after my sole changing and reading this truly wonderful book about life and soles, I'll never look at shoes the same way again. show less

Jenna learns that she's more than her height, and learns how to cope with her alcoholic father, and Mrs. Gladstone learns some things too. Unfortunately, the details of the shoe business and the road trip read as if the author researched them at a distance; they don't feel authentic. And they're as key to the story as the characters, so that's a problem. Still, Bauer's always worth reading if you're into realistic MG and young YA.

At least here there's no romance, much less triangle or choice! Definitely passes the Bechdel test!!

Dealing with the very tough topic of alcoholism and the way in which it impacts those in contact with the alcoholic, Bauer appears to know this topic well.

As the oldest child of an alcoholic father, Jenna has learned the games involved, the lies, the deceit and the shame. She has learned all too well how to feel responsible and guilty. When her near do well father breezes into town drunk once again, she decides to take advantage of a unique opportunity.

Working as a shoe sales person in Gladstone Shoes, when the owner and elderly Mrs. Gladstone requests that Jeanna drive her throughout the country to some of her shoe stores, Jenna gladly accepts the challenge of life on the road behind the wheel of a large Cadillac.

Meeting a host of show more likeable characters who together work to defeat Mrs. Gladstone's slimy son who attempts to take over the company.

When Jenna returns home, she is richer for the journey and is able to confront her father. Sadly, as is the case with some with addictions, daddy loves the bottle more than his family.

Jenna learns to put a stop sign in front of the man who has harmed her and her father. show less

Jenna loves selling shoes. She must have inherited her saleswoman-ship from her now drunken and absent father who was always selling something. She's good at what she does - she doesn't sell the most profitable or what the person wants but sells shoes of good quality that will be a good purchase for the customer. Luckily, the store that she works at, Gladstone's Shoe Store of Chicago, supports these ideal. Unluckily, the current owner, Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, is over 70 years old, and her son is forcing her to retire. He wants to make the chain into a cheap shoe warehouse and completely trash Gladstone's reputation and quality.

This is where the road trip comes in. Madeline Gladstone hires Jenna to be her chauffer and drive her around show more the country visiting different outlets of her store. Jenna isn't thrilled to spend her summer with her elderly boss or away from her family, but wants the money and to get away from her drunk father.

The characters are all really wonderful. They all have strengths, talents, and weaknesses that get revealed as the plot advances. All of the characters get better - for example, Jenna's sister Faith is sort of shallow and little kid-ish when we first meet her, but she grows up a lot and becomes bearable to be around. Mrs. Gladstone reveals weaknesses despite her stubbornness. Jenna learns a lot about herself, the world, selling shoes, and her father on her road trip. The only central character who I hated through the entire book is Mrs. Gladstone's son, Elden - he's just a selfish, scheming jerk.

I really like Jenna. She's not beautiful, perfect, or super talented, but she's loveable. She cares about people and shoes, and is capable - she manages to take her drunken father away from her workplace all by herself, despite her own mental distress at seeing him again. She regularly visits her grandmother who has Alzheimer’s disease and helps her remember by telling her about memories and taking her to do her favorite things. She protects her little sister from her drunken father, and is able to deal despite her mother's confusing working hours. Jenna's strong, intelligent, and fun to read about.

I think Joan Bauer must be really good at showing people what's desirable about certain professions because she described Jenna's commitment to selling shoes that are good for the buyer - sturdy, good quality, good for their feet, etc. I think it's really cool.

While road trips are normally about the places you go, Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone's is about the people you meet, the things you learn, and the actions you take. show less

You would think that a book about a high school girl who drives an old woman to Texas would be a real snore, but somehow, Joan Bauer keeps it interesting. The girl's father is a drunk. He shows up at the shoe store where she works and makes a scene. An old woman, who owns a chain of quality shoe stores offers the girl a chance to drive her to Texas, stopping along the way to visit her stores. It turns out that the story has a lot more to do with life and problems than it does with shoes.