Lord, Cynthia. (2006). Rules. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Lexile Measure: 780L
DRA: 40
AR: 3.9
Awards: Newberry Honor Book
Summary: Catherine is always busy writing rules for her autistic brother, David. If she is not writing rules, she's babysitting him or defending him from the bullies at school. At times she wishes she had a "normal" brother, so she can have a "normal" life. Her parents' world revolve around her brother, which upset her because she feels she deserves as much as attention as him. She wants to be friends with Kristi, her new neighbor, but she finds it difficult to explain David's embarrassing behaviors. Catherine meets, Jason, a boy her age with multiple disabilities, their friendship makes her see a different kind of normal.
Reader Response: This is a great book to help students gain knowledge about autism. The first-person narrative also gives us the opportunity to look through the eyes of a family with an autistic family member and their very realistic daily challenges. The book encourages readers to see past a person's disability and take the time to get to know them. After reading the book, it made me reflect about my own family's blessings and challenges.
If you liked Rules read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. The fish in the cover of Rules represent one of the rules Catherine wrote for David, "No toys in the fish tank!". The fish on the cover of Out of My Mind represent the despair Melody, who's paralyzed, feels when she's unable to communicate with others, like a fish out of the water.
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