Valerie Hobbs

Award-winning author of books for young people (and one for older people)
An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults

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Letting Go Of Bobby James Or How I Found My Self Of Steam

Scared and alone, Sixteen-year-old Sally Jo (Jody) Walker sits at a gas station in the middle of Florida contemplating the rest of her life. Should she wait for Bobby James, who abandoned her there? Should she find a way to get back to Texas and her family? Jody does neither. With twenty dollars to her name, she begins a new life in Jackson Beach, Florida, washing dishes at Thelma's Open 24-hour Cafe and sneaking into the cineplex at night to sleep.

At turns, heart-wrenching and hilarious, (this novel) introduces readers to an unforgettable and surprising young woman who manages to break free of an abusive relationship and find True Strength and her "self of steam".

Selected Works

NEW BOOK!
The Last Best Days Of Summer
Life changes for Lucy when she visits her grandmother at the end of a very special summer.
Adult Fiction
Call It A Gift
An elderly couple fall in love and elope to Yellowstone.
Young Adult Fiction
Sonny's War
In the late 1960's, fourteen-year-old Cory's life is greatly changed by the sudden death of her father and her brother's tour of duty in Vietnam.
Letting Go Of Bobby James Or How I Found My Self Of Steam
"With all my heart, I loved Bobby James Walker. I forgave him, too. But I did not want to see him anymore. Not then, and maybe not ever." Sally Jo Walker
Anything But Ordinary
An endearing young couple's search for independence and identity.
Middle-grade Fiction
Defiance
"The victory of the human spirit shines through Defiance like the sun."
--Suzanne Fisher Staples
Sheep
The heartwarming story of a dog and boy who find each other when hope is nearly gone.

Quick Links

Interview With My Editor Frances Foster
Bookpage Interview