Rules Of The Road

Rules of The Road by Joan Bauer

201 pages

Published: Penguin Group 1998

ISBN: 0399231404

Reading Level/Lexile:  6th grade and up/850L

Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age

Annotation/Teaser:  Will a teenage girl find unexpected adventures when she is asked to drive an elderly lady for summer road trip?

Plot Summary:  Jenna is a teenage girl that is taller than your average girl and works as a shoe salesman for a company called Gladstone Shoes.  Selling shoes is her passion.  When the owner of the company asked Jenna to be her driver on a six week road trip around the country, Jenna gets more than she bargained for.  Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone build an unlikely camaraderie as Jenna struggles to come to grips with the effects of her father's alcoholism and her parents' divorce.  Mrs. Gladstone becomes just the mentor Jenna needs to grow as the strong young woman that she needs to be to handle the problems that come with growing up with an alcoholic father.

Critical Evaluation:  In this book, Jenna narrates the story.  It is written in first person point of view.  This works well because it allows the reader to see what Jenna is thinking and feeling.  The reader can see that Jenna's alcoholic father embarrasses her but she feel bad for him and wants to take care of him.  Throughout the book, Jenna compares the rules of the road to the rules of life.  This helps Jenna understand  that the choices we make have consequences.  
I thought the plot in this story was weak but Jenna's character was strong and the developed really well over the length of the story.  "My grandma always said that God made libraries so that people didn't have any excuse to be stupid."   This quote shows how smart and strong Jenna is in the book.  The reader also sees how smart and mature Jenna is with the way she handles her job.  She is a great salesperson who is always on time and always honest.  While this book wasn't one of my favorites, I did like it because of the character of Jenna. 

About The Author:  Joan Bauer

Born:	July 12, 1951, Oak Park, Illinois
Grew Up In:	River Forest, Illinois
My Family:	Father was a salesman; mother was a high school English teacher and knock-out jazz pianist; grandmother had been a professional storyteller and was the biggest creative influence on my life; I am the oldest of three sisters. When my mother remarried years ago, I got a superb new dad and a wonderful blended family. Grand total: four sisters, two brothers, nine nephews, three nieces, and I don't know how many dogs. I am married to a marvelous man and we have one excellent grown daughter and a fine son-in-law. My extended family (including the Bauers) has spread across Illinois, Virginia, Alaska, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Germany, and Israel.
Education:	Roosevelt Grammar School, River Forest, Illinois; River Forest Junior High; Oak Park River Forest High School; Walther Lutheran High School; college courses over the years; no degree
School Stuff:	Good at writing and drama. Bad at gym; took me a year to finish the apron I was sewing in Home Ec
Interests Then:	Playing the flute, Girl Scouts, baking, listening to comedians; in high school, loved Latin, drama, and playing the guitar-wrote my own songs
Interests Now:	Cooking, museums, jazz and classical music, theater, reading, exploring New York, walking everywhere
Real Life Heroes:	Martin Luther King and Jimmy Carter
Pets Through the Ages:	Tweety, my parakeet; Oscar, my turtle; Tiger, my cat, who I had to give away due to allergies; Love, my best cat, who made me sneeze, but I didn't care; Brennan, my hamster, who would despair at the sight of Love; my daughter's gerbils, Lassie and Laurie, Laura and Ashley; Gambit, my dog, who I still miss everyday.  But now I have a Max, a wheaten terrier (see my blog.)
Wanted to Be:	A writer, a comedienne, a comedy writer
Began Writing Professionally:	When I was 30-right before my daughter was born--magazine articles on parenting.
Live Now In:	Brooklyn, NY with my husband and Max.
Favorite Color:	Green
Favorite Book:	To Kill A Mockingbird
Favorite Word:	Hope
Favorite Beast:	Firefox
Favorite Food:	Coconut cake with too much frosting
My Novels:	Elelven in all. Squashed, Thwonk, Sticks, Rules of the Road, Backwater, Hope Was Here, Stand Tall, Best Foot Forward, Peeled, Close to Famous and Almost Home
Next Book:	It's a secret.

Joan Bauer (2012) Retrieved from www.joanbauer.com

Curriculum Ties:  Health, Business, Substance Abuse, Family Structure, Driver's Education

Book Talk Ideas:

Although Jenna's job of driving across country for 6 weeks with all expenses paid including a small amount of spending money seems like the ideal situation, we must remember she is with a headstrong, grouchy old woman.  How would you feel about this job? 

Jenna doesn't have very much experience as a driver and can't believe that she has been chosen for this job as driver.  What qualities should a good driver possess and which of these qualities do you think Jenna has?

 Controversial Issues: Alcoholism, Death

 Defense: 

·   

**I will keep the library's selection policy on hand and memorized with a good understanding  of the standards and policies to show that the selection meets the standards. 

*

**I will keep good and bad reviews (both electronic and print) and make sure they are from reliable and respected sources such as School of Library Journal, Booklist, and YALSA. I will have copies of these reviews to give away. 

*

**I will confirm the library's position to provide intellectual freedom as stated in the Library Bill of Rights and keep a copy of this.

*

**I will keep a written rationale to justify the reasons this material is included in the collection, such as educational significance and curriculum ties.

*

**I will be respectful and calm and practice "active listening".

*

**I will make sure I read the material and are very familiar with it.

   

** I will keep a reconsideration form on file in the event that my other strategies don't work.  

  Why I Chose This Book:  I chose this book because it deals with so many real life challenges and issues that teens face and demonstrates a strong character and how she deals with these challenges in her life.  This book has also won a considerable amount of awards, including ALA Best Book for Young Adults and is an ALA Quick Pick.