Motorcycles, Sushi and One Strange Book - (Real Life) by Nancy N Rue (Paperback)

About the Book

Fifteen-year-old Jessie Hatcher has ADHD and often uses her bubbly charm to cover up her problems. But when her biological father appears from nowhere and tells her she'll be spending time with him in Florida, Jessie finds she'll need more than charm this time.

Book Synopsis

From bestselling author Nancy Rue comes a YA contemporary novel that combines coming-of-age drama with a rom-com series of adventures as one girl deals with her complicated family and first love.

Jesse Hatcher is used to keeping everything together--from trying to manage her thoughts amidst her ADHD to helping her mom through bipolar "phases" and keeping the reality of the highs and lows--and their living situation--a secret. But when her supposedly dead father, Lou, appears and her mother becomes suicidal, her taped-together life comes undone.

Soon Jesse is placed in Lou's temporary custody, where she has everything but control. As she works her Dad-mandated job learning to make sushi with a chef intent on torturing her, she concocts a plan to get back to her real home. But then a cute boy named Rocky and the thrill of riding his motorcycle complicate things, and the book she found seems to have all the answers she doesn't want to hear. Torn between what her mom wants and a life she might actually enjoy, Jesse is forced to make a crazy decision.

Motorcycles, Burritos & One Strange Book:

• features a vibrant and witty protagonist dealing with the realities of a divided family and mental illness
• is a Christy award-winning novel that explores the ideas of self-worth and empowerment
• provides an inspirational message for those dealing with tough circumstances
• is the first book in the Real Life series

From the Back Cover

Normal? While family dinners and vacations to touristy destinations are ordinary events for her 'normal' friends, fifteen-year-old Jessie Hatcher's normal life means dealing with her ADHD and her mother's bipolar disorder. So why is Jessie shocked when the unexpected happens? Now her 'normal' includes living in Florida with the father she always thought was dead and learning the secrets of sushi from a man who teaches by tormenting her. Life isn't any saner with her dad, but a cute guy and a mysterious book might just be the crazy Jessie needs.

Review Quotes

"Rue creates likable, believable characters who are coping with life's challenges."--Frances Bradburn, Booklist, June 1, 2010

"Rue takes a predictable arc - troubled girl is rescued by her reformed, born-again father and biblical truths - and freshens it with a hugely sympathetic protagonist-narrator, mostly genuine supporting characters and a well-realized setting (a St. Augustine motorcycle shop and environs) ... Here's hoping the next entry in this new series lives up to the standard set here."--Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2010

"When Jessie's long-lost father calls her out of the blue one day, she'd just as soon he vanish again, but finds herself stuck with him anyway when her bipolar mother attempts suicide. On the flight from Alabama to Florida she picks up a beat-up old book and despite herself---her ADHD has not helped to foster a love of reading---finds it has something to offer. So does her newfound dad, his bratty daughter and his crew of friends, including a sushi chef and his wife and an appealingly gap-toothed boy. Rue takes a predictable arc---troubled girl is resuced by her reformed, born-again father and biblical truths---and freshens it with a hugely sympathetic protagonist-narrator, mostly genuine supporting characters and a well-realized setting (a St. Augustine motorcycle shop and environs). The smart-mouthed "Real Life" book is both a Bible in teenspeak and a character "speaking" to Jesse and uncannily anticipating her needs. At the end, Jesse leaves it for another needy soul to find. Here's to hoping the next entry in this new series lives up to the standard set here."--Kirkus Reviews May 1, 2010