Rules (Newbery Honor Book)

"I really enjoyed the book Rules. I think it is an honest look at how siblings feel about one another especially if one sibling has a disability. I think this book is a great read for young children because it delivers a great message that having an autistic brother can be hard, yet the reader leaves with a sense of the love Catherine feels for her brother. I recommend this book to my 5th grade students. So far they all have enjoyed reading the book. Some background knowledge may be needed as the book doesn't fully explain autism and there may be some misconceptions about why David acts the way he does.

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~ Written on 2008-09-19

"My daughter and I thouroughly enjoyed this book. It gave insight to a growing disability and ways to treat those who suffer. Great book. Karen"
~ Written on 2008-09-01

"Hmmm...., what can I write about this book. Great character's, intelligent details, honest theme, STEREOTYPICAL!!!!! This book is an attempt at revealing the beauty of disabled children, yet it comes off as a book about a girl who is embarrassed about her autistic brother. That's understandable, but when you write a story on such a delicate and easily misinterpreted theme, you have to be careful. This story greatly reminds me of "Julep O'Toole, Middle Child". It seems that the only way authors can get across some beautiful theme, is by making their stereotype characters realize how they act and feel is wrong. I couldn't relate to the character, or picture what was going on. I felt like I was reading a letter from some distant relative I had never heard of. This story was written in a hurry, stereotypically, and the author should have added some more descriptions. A must NOT read. "
~ Written on 2008-08-23

"This book screams out exactly what the title says.... Catherine has a learning disabled brother who cannot function in social situations. She give him "rules" that guide him to more or less do the "socially correct" thing.

My daughter was enthralled. Perfect gift for any tween.

The characters are believable and likeable. It helps that my daughter's best friend has a brother with Asperger's Syndrome. She found the story very compelling and even chose to do a 5th grade book report on it. To me, the story discusses very adult feelings... but she disagrees. It's very age appropriate and well written for 10-12 year olds."
~ Written on 2008-08-11

"We all do it, out of human nature. We see people we feel to be less fortunate than us and we can't help but look their way. A glance filled with pity and guilt. Whether it be physical limitations from something like cerebral-palsy or "odd" behavior stemmed from something like autism. However, inside these individuals lies someone as interesting, as creative, and as normal as you and me. Often times our looks and glances are not meant to hurt or offend but that doesn't me they aren't received that way. Not just by the individual, but by those closest to them. A parent. A sibling. A friend.

In Rules, Cynthia Lord puts us in the place of twelve-year-old Catherine. Catherine wants a normal life, complete with a next door friend who she can take to the beach and send flashlight messages back and forth with late at night. Lucky for her, Kristi is moving in next door this summer and may prove to be just that friend. One problem. Catherine's autistic brother David keeps getting in the way. So does Catherine's relationship with Jason, a handicapped boy she warms up to during David's occupational therapy sessions. Will Kristi still want to be Catherine's friend despite these things? Is it worth hurting either relationship in order to impress Kristi? And will Catherine's life ever be "normal"?

First and foremost, I have to commend Cynthia Lord. I have never read a novel that tells a story about autism from the point of view of a girl whose brother suffers from it. It's genius, and packed with raw, yet sometimes comical emotion. She's made Catherine so genuine, with such an authentic voice. Catherine is very responsible when it comes to David and very thoughtful when it comes to Jason, yet at the same time, can't help but ponder the advantages of a life without them. This isn't written in a rude or selfish way, it's totally natural. Because of Lord's writing, it's easy for the reader to sympathize with Catherine and her situation.

And it's not just Catherine, all of Lord's characters shine and come to life in an unflinching, honest way. Jason, who can only communicate by pointing to word cards with pictures on them, is quietly bold. Kristi, who Catherine tries desperately to impress, like many kids, may indeed be less superficial and more thoughtful than one would first expect. And then there's David, Catherine's younger autistic brother, who she tries to control and teach through the use of rules she's made up, life lessons. "No toys in the fish tank!" Through David's interactions with Catherine (his need to quote Frog and Toad books when the going gets real tough), Lord shows us that despite his autism, David is just like any other little brother who loves to pester his sister.

Interestingly enough, the only characters that did not sit well with me were the adults, and it's not Lord's fault. I see it all too often in school, kids not being allowed to live life as a kid. Kristi has to have dinner ready for her mom when she gets home from work. The responsibilities Catherine's parents place on her and the things they expect her to understand and live with, it's not fair to her. Even Jason's mother begins to just "expect" certain behaviors from Catherine. It's no wonder she feels used. Catherine's dad is usually at work and her mom is often times too busy to watch David, in one scene, even for just a few minutes while Catherine entertains a friend. I'm sure that somewhere along the line, her parents have had their fair share of difficult times (especially with David) but that doesn't give them the right to use their daughter, shift all responsibility onto her plate (a twelve-year-old girl remember), and put all her wants and desires on the back-burner. It's frustrating and it's all too real in today's society.

In the end, what makes Rules such a class act, is how Cynthia Lord never takes the story where you'd expect a children's author to take it. David does not act "over the top" in regards to his autism. Catherine isn't an unsocial hermit, hard up for friends. She's actually very likable in the book. There's even more to Jason and Kristi, then first expected, much more. Nothing is softened up, nothing is given the Disney treatment, and why should it be? These are issues all too prevalent in the lives of younger readers today. It's nice for a change to see an author show them a different side to an extremely important, yet different story.

I think Rules has many things going for it and is a story not only all children should read, but adults as well. There's plenty they could take away from Catherine's "rules". After all, those awkward looks and glances Catherine and Jason received while "running" in the doctor's parking lot, they weren't coming from children. Cynthia Lord has written a story that should change the way you look at people. It did for me."
~ Written on 2008-08-07