Dear Mother

Authors Note: This is a letter to Jenna’s Mother from Jenna, from the book “Rules of the Road” By; Joan Bauer. This piece is describing the conflict and resolution of the book.

Dear Mother,  

In the beginning I didn’t understand, I didn’t understand why you didn’t want me to go with Mrs. Gladestone on the Road Trip.  I felt as if you were trying to make me miserable and not experience new adventures.  As if you were boxing me in and not letting me live life, as if you want me to be stuck with my many problems here at home. 

However, now I get it, I understand why you were keeping me here. You were just trying to protect me and teach me to not run away from my problems. Mother, you were teaching me new life lessons and helping me get through the issues I have been having lately. So, thank you mother, for watching over me and helping me realize that I shouldn’t have gone on the road trip to run away from my problems, I should have faced them.

                                                                             Love,

                                                                                Jenna

Road to Recovery

Abigail Sharpee

Hour 3

Authors note: This is my formal essay; from the book “Rules of the Road” by Joan Bauer. This piece is describing the character development of Jenna Boller.

The Road to Recovery

Have you ever felt the need to change? Have you felt if you changed the way you acted, your whole life would change? The main character, Jenna from the book “Rules of the Road” by Joan Bauer, felt the same way before she set out on an adventure that changed her as a person. Jenna Boller got asked to be the driver for her boss, Mrs. Gladstone, at the shoe store from which she worked at. This road trip goes from Illinois to Texas, and they would be in Texas for 4 months. Throughout the trip, Jenna majorly develops as a character and seems quite different by the time she returns home.

Jenna Boller  is a sophisticated, misunderstood teenager who  took care of her high maintenance sister Faith, her overwhelmed mother, and her alcoholic father. With all of these problems going on at home, all Jenna wanted was to move away from them, even if it meant having to spend four months with Mrs. Gladstone. However, Mrs. Gladstone had more of an influence on her then she expected.

Jenna Boller had never been the most popular, or the prettiest girl in her high school, and hasn’t really found out who she wanted to be and what her sense of personality or style was like yet. Except, Jenna isn’t really looking for who she is, she has nearly given up. She feels almost as if there is nothing more to her besides brains, and homework. Although, she does discover that there is more to her, she just hasn’t found her other half yet.

This is quite similar to me, I feel as if I haven’t found my other half yet either. Except the difference is that I haven’t stopped looking and that I have a longer time to uncover who I really am and my true friends, then Jenna did. Also, I feel as if I have found more of myself then Jenna has. Therefore, Jenna and I are a tad bit similar but yet I’d say that we are more different. Therefore, I believe that Jenna and I are similar, yet we have our differences Jenna keeps more to herself than I, and she has more and bigger issues to deal with than me. Although, there is a character from the book “Boy Proof” by’ Cecil Castellucci, who is very similar to Jenna and goes by the name of Victoria. Victoria spends the second half of the school year trying to go from geek to popular for the first boy she has ever crushed on, Max. The book is basically about how she finds her true self, and the way she develops as a person. These two characters, Jenna and Victoria are both alike because they both try to find out who they really are, and have rather interesting journeys doing so.

Over the road trip, Jenna learns a lot about how to style her tomato red hair, and what clothes will blend nicely with it. She also discovers how to make business deals, the right way to treat others, and how to live a good life the right way.  Jenna meets some really spectacular people that made a significant impact on her new self. By the time Jenna returned home she had a new hair-do, a new way of living, and different ways to face, address and solve her problems. These changes demonstrate that Jenna is a dynamic character. Those dramatic changes owe great thanks towards Mrs. Gladstone, who was there with her every step of the way.

New and improved Jenna took her life into her own hands, and realized that you don’t have to be the prettiest nor most popular girl at school, you just have to be you. Now thanks to the trip, she knows who she really is; she has more self confidence and can’t wait for school to start up again so that she can go show off the new Jenna Boller.

Dear Jenna

Abigail Sharpee

Hour 3

Authors Note: This is my creative piece; a letter to Jenna from the book “Rules of the Road” by Joan Bauer.  This piece is describing the cause and effects going on throughout the book.

Dear Jenna,

            I know that life isn’t always the best and with that I can relate, but I do think your choice between going on the Road Trip or staying home, was a good one. I believe you did handle the decision well, and the result was good also; you learned some very tremendous life lessons, some of which will help you throughout your lifetime. I can relate to your decisions, yet I don’t think that you should have run away from your problems. Instead, I believe that you should have faced them before you left. 

If you handled your problems right away, you could have went on the road trip without a single worry on your mind, without stressing about all of the problems you left in Chicago. Also you are only escaping your problems for the 4 months that you are gone; for when you return home, the problems will have worsened for you to handle. I’m not trying to stress you out, but next time I would recommend facing your problems right away, rather than pushing them aside for later and procrastinating.

Also, there is another situation I would have handled a little better. It was when Mrs. Gladstone was having the first problems with her leg; I think you shouldn’t have been so soft on her, and not let Alice do the enforcing. Mrs. Gladstone is a stubborn woman and she needs to be pushed a little more in the right direction to do what’s right. For example, when you were driving her back from the doctors and you asked her if she would like to get a wheelchair or not, she said no. So you moved on even though you thought it would have been a wise decision to use the wheelchair. In the future, you should have just forced her to get the wheelchair because you knew it was the right thing to do for her health, and by not getting the wheelchair it lead to some difficulties for her to get  from place to place, until Alice stepped in and made Mrs. Gladstone ride in one.

Besides those minor situations, I think your decisions have been very good. I can tell that this road trip has had quite an impact on your attitude and outlook on life. You have changed so much as a person as you seem happier and more outgoing then you ever was before. You’ve also learned how to handle tough situations better than you would have before, and how to control your emotions other than bottling it all up inside.

Jenna, you’re a smart girl. You just have to know how to handle things and life would be so much easier for you. Don’t make life harder than it needs to be. Don’t try to hide from problems that will come and find you in the end, it won’t do you any good.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                               Abigail Sharpee

Inspiration

*Authors Note: This is a reflection piece on a quote from the book I’m reading called "The Rules of the Road" by Joan Bauer. The quote is taken place in the story, after a very important friend of a woman named Mrs. Gladstone, passes away. Mrs. Gladstone is talking to Jenna, her driver, about just giving up on a mission they've been trying to accomplish because of this friends passing.* 

"I just know things happen more than I'd like because the world has got more than its share of problems."

          These wise words spoken by Mrs.Gladstone, shows that she is not an old pathetic woman, like she might come off as. She is wise and strong minded; she learned so much and knows as much as you can about life. Although she does come across problems throughout her life time, these words were taken place during one of those problems. She was about to give up on something that held the most importance to her life and this quote does resembled, not only intelligence and wisdom, but also not giving up, through these words show that you can’t always have things your way you can tell that Mrs. Gladstone was exhausted with all the problems that have occurred lately, and her close friend passing, took her off the edge. 

                Mrs. Gladstone was an older lady that had cared a lot about people that cared about her and she had faced her problems in life just like everyone else but she of all people do not under any circumstance put up with any nonsense ever, and that is how she is known by the public.

               Although, this quote almost shows her giving up, and not being one of those tough women like she normally is. Mrs. Gladstone is wise and does end up coming to her senses with a little help from Jenna. This quote is when Mrs. Gladstone really got put off the edge by all of the drama occurring and what saved her from making a big career mistake.

             However, this quote is appealing to me because she is such a tough strong hearted person, that no one could have pictured her quieting. So to me, the quote reassures all readers that even the toughest people, have their problems.

Prediction Speech

               *Authors Note: This is a Prediction piece from the book Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer.*

            In the book  Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer, Jenna, the main character is on a road trip across the country to Texas. She doesn’t really know why but all she knows is that she is driving a rich snobby woman, who happens to be her boss,  around the country in a Cadillac. On top of all of that the rich woman, Mrs. Gladstone's hip is going out and she can't walk. Also Jenna just got her drivers licenses and now she's hulling this woman around. It’s a lot of responsibility for Jenna, she is only a normal 16 year old girl, its hard for her to handle all of this responsibility.

         As I continue to read this story I get more and more into it, I really just want to read what happens in the end. I have begun to have a prediction of what will happen. I predict that Mrs. Gladstone will not give the business to her slob of a son, Elden, but she is going to give it to the hardworking Jenna.I think this because you can tell that Mrs. Gladstone really likes Jenna, and she can tell that Jenna enjoys the business and is very responsible. Mrs. Gladstone might be old and mean but she has a softer side. She will not give into Elden, in my mind she is not the weak minded. I really hope that she comes to her senses and hands over the business to Jenna, or another loyal worker of hers.