RULES by Cynthia Lord

Bibliography:

Lord, Cynthia. RULES. 2006. Scholastic Press. ISBN 043944382

Plot Summary:

Cynthia Lord's RULES main character is twelve-year-old Catherine. She just wants to have a "normal" life. Her brother has autism and her parents seem to revolve their lives around his disability. She has spent years trying to teach her brother David the rules so he will not embarrass her. Rules such as: " Chew with your mouth closed."; "No toys in the fish tank" and "If the bathroom door is closed, knock (especially if Catherine has a friend over)!" But Catherine hardly ever has friends over, she has a best friend named Melissa. Unfortunately Melissa spends the entire summer in California with her dad. This leaves Catherine to befriend the new girl on the block, Kristi. Also in the process of making new friends she befriends Jason. She meets Jason at David's doctor appointment (occupational therapy, Stephanie). Jason is in a wheelchair and cannot talk. Catherine learns that Jason is very intelligent. She uses her artistic art work to make him communication cards because the one he have are boring. She makes them bright and colorful. She also gives him his own voice through the cards such as : "Stinks a big one!!!"; "Gross!" and "Awesome!" While Catherine gives David a list of rules, she also has a list of unwritten rules for herself such as: "Leaving out isn't the same as lying." and "Not everything worth keeping has a to be useful." Catherine eventually learns what acceptance in normalcy really are when she befriends Jason. She must meet Kristi at a dance and she has told Kristi a lot about Jason, except that he is in a wheelchair and cannot talk. Once Jason shows up at the dance and they dance Catherine learns how to let go, be herself, and not worry about what others think.

Critical Analysis:

Cynthia Lord's RULES received the Newbery Honor Book for 2007 and ALA Notable Children's Books. It is a contemporary realistic fiction book. The reader can relate to twelve-year-old Catherine who is coping with having a brother who is autistic and her parents centers everything around him. Lord's book RULES reflects the societal times of today. Focusing the themes on family, friends,disabilities and acceptance. Lord's does a great job of portraying the life of an adolescent living with a brother who has autistic. Catherine must cope with this, all she wants to have is a "normal" life and be accepted. She dealing with life by making a list of rules for her brother David to follow. These rules are to keep life "normal". These rules are her strength for survival for living with an autistic brother. But they also become her weakness. Catherine gets so consumed with rules that she stops enjoying life. She does not realize that it is all right for David to put toys in the fish tank. Her rules become a power struggle because David is autistic, he does not understand what he is doing is not right. Lord's has a easy style and a nice rhythm, making this book a fast, easy and enjoyable read. She gives off a sense of humor that also the readers to become intimate with the main character, feeling her hardship as an adolescent who just wants to be accepted at home and with peers. Catherine goes through an emotional journey and growth and realizes at the end of the book that it is fine to let go and be herself. Lord's does an excellent job of creating a believable character and a real life situation. Many young girls could related to this book who have sibling with disabilities. I really enjoyed this book, although it dealt a very serious topic, it was humorous and fun to read.

Review Excerpt(s):

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him (It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. Her love for her brother is as real as are her frustrations with him. Lord has candidly captured the delicate dynamics in a family that revolves around a child's disability. Set in coastal Maine, this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance. A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. "No toys in the fish tank" is one of many rules that 12-year-old Catherine shares with her autistic younger brother, David, to help him understand his world. Lots of the rules are practical. Others are more subtle and shed light on issues in Catherine's own life. Torn between love for her brother and impatience with the responsibilities and embarrassment he brings, she strives to be on her parents' radar and to establish an identity of her own. At her brother's clinic, Catherine befriends a wheelchair-bound boy, Jason, who talks by pointing at word cards in a communication notebook. Her drawing skills and additional vocabulary cards--including "whatever" (which prompts Jason to roll his eyes at his mother)--enliven his speech. The details of autistic behavior are handled well, as are depictions of relationships: Catherine experiences some of the same unease with Jason that others do in the presence of her brother. In the end, Jason helps Catherine see that her rules may really be excuses, opening the way for her to look at things differently. A heartwarming first novel. Cindy Dobrez Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Connections:

Have students research autism. Have students role play by putting themselves in someone shoes. Have students work in cooperative groups and create five rules that they would need to survive on a desert island or five rules they think they need to survive in life. Lastly, have students choose their favorite rule from the book RULES and write why that particular rule was important to them.