by Nancy N. Rue (Author)
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
Back Jacket
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.
Number of Pages: 224
Dimensions: 0.61 x 9.1 x 4.78 IN
Publication Date: May 08, 2010
Award: Christy Awards (2011)
Accelerated Reader:
Quiz Name: Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book
Interest Level: Upper Middle Grades, 6 and up
Reading Level: 4.5
Point Value: 10