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Summary: Better than the Usual Road Trip...
Review: Jenna Boller is a young woman who is determined to make something of her life. She is determined to maintain her values. She is determined to rise above the circumstances of having an alcoholic father, an alzheimer-ridden grandmother, and a little sister that is of little support. Jenna sells shoes. Or at least she sells shoes until the president of Gladstone Shoe Stores, Mrs. Gladstone hires her to drive her from store to store from Chicago all of the way down to Dallas where the big stockholder meeting is held. Along the way, Jenna does not only learn about the value of shoes, but the value of holding onto quality both in purchases and in character. It is this value of quality that lead Mrs. Gladstone and Jenna to try to resist a corporate takeover by business guru Ken Woldman, and Mrs. Gladstone's son, Elden. The book is well written, though the characterization lacks depth at points. The book is a feel good story if there ever was one... but it does not make the mistake of getting overly sappy and ridiculous. Rules of the Road is definitely more than worth the read.
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Summary: Rules of the Road
Review: In the novel "Rules of the Road", a young girl named Jenna Boller tells us about her troubles during her teenage years. Jenna thought she was an ugly girl, and was not very proud of herself. Jenna's father was always drunk, and always in debt. When she was younger, he made her lie for him when people called asking for him because he owed them money. But after working at a shoe store for a long time, Jenna gets asked by the owner to be her personal driver. Mrs. Gladstone (the owner of the shoe store) later asks Jenna to drive her to many different cities and to Texas over the summer. Jenna realizes that leaving to go on the trip will let her leave all her troubles behind, and worries about her family having to handle her problems for her. She has to leave her grandmother that is coping with Alzheimer's disease behind. She also has to leave her sister behind to deal with the problems of her father. Over the summer, Jenna learns many different things. She learns how to finally protect herself from her father. She gets a makeover from Alice (a shoe model that rides with Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone to Texas) and realizes that she really is a beautiful person. Jenna learns more about selling shoes from visiting each of Mrs. Gladstone's stores. She always has a relationship with her customers, and tells them the truth about the shoes they are about to buy. When Jenna returns home from her trip, she takes her grandmother out on a picnic. She finally has the courage to get her father arrested for drunk driving. Jenna later talks to her father about how she feels about his alcoholism. This novel is a great novel; I recommend it to anyone who likes to read.
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Summary: Its ok Book
Review: Well in the begining its kinda boring but then it gets more exciting!
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Summary: Fast-paced tale of an extraordinary ordinary girl...
Review: I just finished this book with tears in my eyes 24 hours after I started it. Joan Bauer makes us care about her characters in a matter of pages; how does she do it?...touching tale of the insightful teenager dealing with her alcoholic dad and her own growing up during a cross-country trip with a feisty senior citizen. Good solid story-telling!
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Summary: Cheers for a wonderful teen heroine
Review: Jenna Boller, the heroine of this fast-paced YA novel, is a girl with character, wit and style. She doesn't follow the crowd; indeed, for the duration of this story she hangs with a couple of "old ladies" who are every bit as hip as they need to be. Jenna, a born shoe seller, takes a road trip with feisty Mrs. Gladstone, who is in a struggle with her son Elden over the family business. The son is greedy and evil to the core, a perfect villain. Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone take him on at a stockholders meeting where Jenna makes a speech about quality that makes you want to cheer. Jenna is a worthy protagonist and role model for teens of either sex. She learns to stand tall, be proud of herself and face down the big problem life has dealt her, an alcoholic father. This novel made me laugh and cry and was over much too soon. More road trips!
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Summary: Rules of the Road
Review: Jenna Boller, a sixteen-year-old girl, is the star employee at her branch of Gladstone's Shoes located in Chicago. Jenna is faced with some extremely difficult circumstances - her mother is a nurse who works the night shift at an area hospital, her father, who is divorced, is an alcoholic - and shows up periodically, her sister yearns for affection, particularly from her father, and her grandmother is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. After repeatedly asking her mother for permission to accept a summer job driving the elderly Madeline Gladstone (the president of Gladstone's shoes) on a cross-country trip from Chicago to Texas, Jenna's mother reluctantly agrees. Jenna is surprised to learn that Mrs. Gladstone has problems, too - an aching hip and an aching heart. Mrs. Gladstone's "power-hungry" son, Elden, is attempting to take over the company in favor of a major merger. This is a wonderful novel!!!!!
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Summary: An amazing book!
Review: This book was funny, smart and true to its teenaged readers. The charcters were realistic and lovable. A great read!
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Summary: This book is for girls!!
Review: After reading Rules of the Road,I came to a few conclusions. One is that its story line (about a girl whose responsibilities are choking her, life ect) is very original but not very interesting. However, I thought the characters were true to life and reminded me of people I know. All in All, this book really did not grab my attention and i would not suggest it to other people, but if you like to read about overcoming the every day hardships of life then go for it.
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Summary: This book is for girls!!
Review: After reading Rules of the Road,I came to a few conclusions. One is that its story line (about a girl whose responsibilities are choking her, life ect) is very original but not very but not very interesting. However, I thought the characters were true to life and reminded me of people I know. All in all, this book realy didnot grab my attention and I would not suggest it to other people, but if you like to read about overcoming the everyday hardships of life then go for it.
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Summary: A summer to remember...
Review: Jenna Boller may only work in a shoe store, but to her selling shoes is an art form. She is so good at it that the owner of Gladstone Shoes, Madeline Gladstone, is impressed with her abilities. When Madeline decides to go on a road trip to visit all the stores in the Gladstone Shoes chain, she hires Jenna as her driver and undercover shoe agent. Mrs. Gladstone is planning on retiring soon, and she wants to find out just what is happening in her stores before she turns the business over to her son Elden. Jenna can't believe it -- two months on the road in a big white Cadillac, driving from Chicago to Dallas. For Jenna this is a chance to get away from the problem of her recently returned alcoholic father. However, while on the road with Mrs. Gladstone acting as both chauffer and spy, Jenna gets the chance to meet famed shoe salesman Harry Bender. From Harry and Mrs. Gladstone, plus a couple of other people she meets along the way, Jenna learns not only the "rules of the road," but gains a level of confidence that allows her 1) save Gladstone Shoes form a corporate takeover and 2) deal with her alcoholic father.This was the first Joan Bauer novel I ever read, and I can honestly say that I have been smitten with her ever since. She has yet to let me down in any of her novels. I highly recommend this novel, and suggest you consider reading her other works.
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