Rules
by Cynthia Lord
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cynthia LordBrand: Scholastic
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-09-01
ISBN: 0439443830
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Book Reviews of Rules
Book Review: A Well-Written Look at Disabilities
Summary: 5 Stars
Catherine is twelve and has to babysit her pesky eight-year-old brother--a lot--in this book for middle school readers. But David isn't pesky in the usual way. He's autistic. He makes odd comments in a loud voice, throws a tantrum if someone is late, and takes his pants off in public. Catherine hates it when people stare, so she's made a list of rules for him: "If someone says `hi,' say `hi' back." "Late doesn't mean not coming." "No toys in the fish tank." "Keep your pants on." "Flush!"
Meanwhile, Catherine makes two new friends, Kristi and Jason. When Kristi moves in next door, Catherine is excited. But Kristi likes Ryan, a boy who enjoys teasing David and making him look foolish. Catherine hopes Kristi won't turn out to be like Ryan.
The other new friend, Jason, goes for occupational therapy at the same time as Catherine's brother. Jason is confined to a wheelchair and can only communicate by pointing to words written on a set of cards, words like GO, HI, PLEASE. After Catherine gets to know him, she makes him some new words: AWESOME! GROSS! STINKS A BIG ONE! Jason loves them.
Catherine mentions Jason to Kristi but doesn't tell her that Jason is disabled. She isn't sure how Kristi will react and is afraid of losing her as a friend. When Kristi suggests that Catherine and Jason double-date with her and Ryan, Catherine struggles with her divided loyalties.
This Newbery Honor Book is well-written and entertaining. Lord writes with insight and humor and Catherine is very likable. I admired her attempts, mostly successful, to communicate with her brother and her friend Jason. The book helps the reader understand the challenges disabled people and their families face.
Autism is a timely topic, now that one in 110 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum. Cynthia Lord, as the mother of an autistic son, knows whereof she writes. I greatly admire the parents of autistic children because of their often heroic efforts to find help for their children. For anyone interested in reading non-fiction books about this topic, I loved Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autismby Jenny McCarthy (yes, that Jenny McCarthy) and The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Sonby Rupert Isaacson.
Reading level: 10 and up.
Summary of Rules
This 2007 Newbery Honor Book is a humorous and heartwarming debut about feeling different and finding acceptance. Now in After Words paperback!
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"---in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors.
But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"---in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors.
But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?
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