Rules of the Road

Rules of the Road follows sixteen-year-old Jenna Boller, a Chicago teenager who works at Gladstone Shoes and gets hired as a summer driver for Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, the company's elderly president. Jenna must navigate her new role while grappling with her father's alcoholism and her own self-doubt. The story takes Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone on a cross-country business trip, visiting Gladstone shoe stores and confronting both personal and professional challenges. Their journey becomes a test of leadership, integrity, and standing up for what they believe in against corporate pressures to change the company. The novel explores coming-of-age themes through the lens of mentorship and business ethics. Through Jenna's experiences behind the wheel and in the boardroom, the story examines how confidence grows when someone believes in you, and how principles can guide both business and personal decisions.

Readers describe Rules of the Road as an uplifting coming-of-age story with strong character development and positive messages about work ethic, self-confidence, and standing up for what's right. Readers appreciated: - Realistic portrayal of teen employment - Complex relationship between protagonist and her employer - Treatment of alcoholism and family dynamics - Business ethics themes - Strong female characters - Clean content suitable for middle school Common criticisms: - Slow pacing in the middle sections - Predictable plot elements - Some found the shoe business details tedious Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (14,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (200+ reviews) Common Sense Media: 4/5 (parent reviews) Reader quote: "Finally a YA book about a teenager with a real job and real responsibilities. The main character grows through actual work experience rather than just relationship drama." - Goodreads reviewer

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📚 Joan Bauer wrote Rules of the Road after being seriously injured in a car accident, channeling her own experiences of perseverance and healing into the main character's journey. 🏆 The book won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was named an ALA Notable Book, establishing itself as a standout in young adult literature. 👠 The shoe store setting was inspired by Bauer's teenage years working in various retail positions, including her time at a shoe store in Chicago. 🚗 The cross-country road trip in the novel spans 1,800 miles from Chicago to Dallas, taking readers through six different states. 🌟 Mrs. Gladstone's character was partially based on successful female entrepreneurs of the 1990s, particularly those who built retail empires from the ground up.