Rules of the Road (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I leaped onto the sliding ladder in the back room of Gladstone's Shoe Store of Chicago, gave it a shove, and glided fast toward the..." (more)
Key Phrases: selling shoes, fifty shares, shoe business, Harry Bender, Shoe Warehouse, Ken Woldman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Funny young adult writers are a rare treasure, and Joan Bauer is one of the funniest. Critics and young readers rejoiced at her three previous novels--Squashed, Thwonk, and Sticks--and with Rules of the Road, she has written a story that is wise and touching as well as comical. 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. Rules of the Road is a treat that will utterly delight readers. (Age 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Bauer's novel about an earnest teenager who chauffeurs a crabby, wealthy woman has the underpinnings of a quirky Driving Miss Daisy, but the story quickly runs out of gas. Sixteen-year-old Jenna Boller has the world by the tail. She's just received her driver's license and she loves her job at Gladstone's Shoe Store. Even better, she's been tapped to drive Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, the imposing president of the shoe store chain, from Chicago to Dallas for an important shareholders meeting. During the road trip Jenna gets a chance to demonstrate her passion for shoe salesmanship at various Gladstone stores; she also learns of Elden Gladstone's plan to push his mother aside in favor of a major merger. While Jenna educates herself in the ways of big business and dealing with difficult people, she also ruminates about her alcoholic father, her ailing grandmother and her mom and sister waiting at home. She arrives back in Chicago both braver and wiser. As in Squashed, Bauer begins with an intriguing premise, weaves in unusual settings and scenarios and creates an offbeat first-person narrator to relay them. But a supporting cast of stock characters and forced dialogue may disappoint readers of her previous novels. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Speak (June 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014240425X
• ISBN-13: 978-0142404256
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #192,705 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You go, girl!, January 12, 2000

By	Jackie Maibach (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rules of the Road (Mass Market Paperback)

Rules of the Road was included as one of the required texts for our Reading and Writing Festival to be held in the spring. As a teacher, I am thrilled that a book focusing on the inner strengths of a 16-year-old girl was included. Sure, there are myriads of books addressing heroines -- but this book is different. We get a sense of Jenna's dismay with adolescence; she deals with divorce, alcoholism, and loneliness with a unique sense of charm and wit. We hear Jenna's voice maturing throughout the saga of driving to Texas -- and are charmed by her relationship with her aging boss. What book have you read lately that addresses respect for elders, discusses the horrors of alcoholism, the sadness of Alzheimers, and the inequities of being young, and even integrates a lesson in economics! All in a rambunctious, lively dialogue emanating from the soul of a young lady who I would love to have in my classroom. I tend to "read-between-the-lines" of every dialogue journal I review after reading such a moving book. Thank you, Joan Bauer.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome characters, liked this lots better than her new one, July 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rules of the Road (Hardcover)

I've read two of Joan Bauers books, this one and Backwater, and I really liked this one more, especially because of the narrator! She was really believable with a lot of spirit, and humor. All the other characters were fabulous too. Some people might not like the way in Bauer books how each main character has their "thing" (like in Squashed, it was growing pumpkins/agriculture, or Backwater, the girl was obsessed w/ history) but Jenna's drive here (shoes and selling) brought the story up, instead of in Backwater, where I thought it slowed the story down. DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY read this one!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every female from the age of 10 should read this book!, August 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rules of the Road (Hardcover)

I'm an adult/female who reviews dozens of middle grade and young adult books as part of my job. I haven't been this enthusiastic about a book since "The Agony of Alice." I laughed out loud and had tears in my eyes..all within a few pages! Joan Bauer touches upon the traditional teenage concerns...feeling awkward & ugly at times and being an outsider at school. Everyone, no matter what age they are now, will relate to Jenna's feelings. But, more importantly, the relationship between Jenna, the "smart" 17 year-old, and Mrs. Gladstone, the ageless 73 year-old, will convince you that there are are no age limits on friendship.