Rules

**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**

Book Review: Rules

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. RULES. New York: Scholastic.
ISBN: 9780545036405

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Rules is a delightful and heartwarming book about a twelve-year-old girl named Catherine and her relationship with her younger brother David. David is autistic and his sometimes odd and repetitive behaviors embarrass her at times, especially in front of her peers.

The chapter titles in the book are named after a list of rules Catherine created for David to follow that include topics such as chewing with your mouth closed, knocking before opening the bathroom door, and saying “excuse me” after you burp. Catherine is the narrator of the story giving readers insight into the personal struggles she faces as a sibling of a child with a disability. She wishes at times that her parents would pay as much attention to her as they do David. She is terrified of losing friends because of her brother.

Catherine’s life and point of view about her brother take a positive turn when she meets Jason, a patient who receives therapy at the clinic where her brother attends. Jason helps Catherine gain a new perspective on the way she views her family, and realizes that people are more accepting then she thought allowing her to begin accepting her brother for who he is.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Cynthia Lord has excited readers with the debut of her contemporary fiction novel Rules. Lord has created a candid coming of age story in which readers meet Catherine, a twelve-year-old girl who’s younger brother David is autistic. Through Catherine, readers come to an understanding of the emotional ups and downs that come with living with a sibling who has a disability.

Lord has created believable characters that readers can identify with relate to. Catherine’s emotions come through in her thoughts as well as her words. She says of her brother David,

“Sometimes I just wish I someone would invent a pill so David’d wake up one morning without autism.”

Strong themes surrounding acceptance and understanding people who are different then yourself run throughout the story. Family issues related to wanting a sense of belonging and attention from parents are themes that readers may relate well to. Catherine longs for the attention of her parents, and resents that so much of their time goes to her brother David. She creates a set of rules for David out of the embarrassment and frustration that her brothers behavior has caused for her.

Catherine says, “I keep all the rules I’m teaching David so if my someday-he’ll-wake-up-a-regular-brother wish doesn’t ever come true, at least he’ll know how the world works, and I won’t have to keep explaining things.”

Catherine is keenly sensitive to the social pressures that come with having a brother with a disability. She lives in fear of her new neighbor Kristi rejecting her as a friend because of David. Catherine learns to face her fears through a relationship that she develops with Jason, a boy who is not able to speak at her brother’s therapy sessions. The relationship between Jason and Catherine is ultimately what leads Catherine to the point of acceptance and sensitivity to her brother’s needs.

Readers will gain their own understanding about autism and acceptance of people who are different then themselves through the experiences of each character in the story. Lord has created a work of fiction that is very current and relevant to lives of its readers.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Library School Journal: “A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.”

Booklist: “The details of autistic behavior are handled well, as are depictions of relationships.”

5. CONNECTIONS:
*After reading this novel, teachers can lead a discussion about autism asking students what they know about autism from their own lives and how this book has changed or shifted their perception about people with disabilities.
*Students can use the rules in this book as a starter for writing their own set of rules they would want to create for certain situations in their lives or classrooms.
*Teachers can ask students to do a character analysis of Catherine and discuss how her feelings change over time in the story.

AWARDS:
Newbery Honor Book, 2007
Schneider Family Book Award, 2007
ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2007

Web Resources:
www.cynthialord.com