Rules

Bibliography

Lord, Cynthia. 2006. RULES. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439443821

Plot Summary

Catherine is a twelve-year-old girl - the oldest child in her family and the older sister of her autistic brother, David.  All Catherine really wants is to have a normal life, a life where she doesn't have to constantly babysit her brother and worry every time he's around about what he might say or how he might behave in public.  Throughout her life, she has worked hard to teach David the "rules" of life that most people take for granted.  Catherine spends most of her summer helping her mother with David, visiting the clinic where David receives occupational therapy, and hoping that her new neighbor Kristi will not be scared off by David's differences.  During the time she spends at David's clinic, Catherine meets a surprising new friend - a paraplegic boy named Jason who "talks" to others through a communication book he keeps with him at all times.  When Catherine begins to create illustrated word cards for Jason's communication book, the process of choosing which words and pictures to include becomes a way for her to look at her own life and express her thoughts and feelings.  Living with the stress of David's disability leads to feelings of embarrassment and frustration for Catherine - so much so that she begins to feel as though her needs are nonexistent to her family due to the fact that their life revolves around David's needs.  In the end, Catherine learns that caring about what others think simply isn't that important after all. 

Critical Analysis

In this realistic work of fiction, Catherine is the perfect blend of a twelve-year-old girl who loves her autistic brother and wants to protect him, but also just wants to be able to live her own life.  Aside from her important role as David's sister, Catherine is also an artist, a daughter, and a friend.  Rules is told from Catherine's perspective, and readers will discover that she is trying to find a place in a family that seems to be centered around coping with David's needs for comfort and development.  The characters are complex, each one coping as well as they can with the challenges of raising a child with special needs (while making mistakes along the way).  Young readers will relate to Catherine, especially after reading that she has written a set of "rules" for her brother to follow in order to help him keep his anxiety under control.  The light-hearted style of Cynthia Lord's writing helps in creating a touching story that conveys the complexities of family relationships, the search for acceptance, and the social pressures that kids struggle with as they grow up.  This is an excellent read that will appeal to anyone who has ever interacted with someone who is just a little bit different than everyone else.

Awards

• Newbery Honor Book
• Schneider Family Book Award
• An ALA Notable Children's Book
• Mitten Award (Michigan Library Association)
• Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan)
• Maine Student Book Award
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (Vermont)
• Kentucky Bluegrass Award
• Great Stone Face Award (New Hampshire)
• Buckeye Children's Book Award (Ohio)
• New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
• Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts (NCTE)
• Book of the Week, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
• KidPost Book of the Week, Washington Post

Review Excerpts

"A heartwarming first novel."

               – Booklist

“The appealing, credible narrator at the heart of Lord's debut novel will draw in readers, as she struggles to find order and balance in her life...A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view."

               – Publishers Weekly

"Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak...this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance.  A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter."

               – School Library Journal

"Catherine is an appealing and believable character, acutely self-conscious and torn between her love for her brother and her resentment of his special needs.  Middle-grade readers will recognize her longing for acceptance and be intrigued by this exploration of dealing with differences."

               – Kirkus Book Reviews

“This is a story that depicts the impact of a needy child on an entire family very realistically."

               – Children's Literature


"The first-person narrative is very engaging, and readers will identify with Catherine's struggles and cheer for her at the end.  This is a great book to help students gain some understanding about autism, while also providing a good read.  The author is the mother of an autistic child.  Recommended."
               – Library Media Connection


"An honest and frequently funny portrayal of what it's like to have a sibling with autism at an age when being accepted is so important."
               – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Connections

Teachers and librarians can find an excellent Discussion Guide on Cynthia Lord's website that will activate children's background knowledge before reading, in addition to facilitating discussion during reading and upon finishing the book.  Along with providing thought-provoking questions, this discussion guide provides a list of novels that can be compared and contrasted with Rules, as well as a variety of informative websites and links.  Teachers can even find lesson plans for how to teach children about disabilities and develop a deeper understanding of children with special needs.


Catherine develops her own extensive list of rules for David, with the hope that she can try to make him appear more "normal" to everyone around him.  After reading this novel, children may be interested in compiling their own lists of rules for daily living.  What are some important rules they think are missing from Catherine's list?  Teachers can have children create their own lists, or each child can come up with one rule so that the entire group can publish a list of rules together (for example, Rules for Ms. Garich's Class).