Rules

Rules | Realistic Fiction | Cynthia Lord | Newbery Medal; Scholastic Gold; ALA; State Awards | ages 9-12 |

A moving story about a girl, Catherine, who has an autistic brother and struggles with babysitting him and trying to make friends. It’s not easy for her when her parents are always busy, her best friend moved to a different state for the summer, and has to care for her brother most of the time. David, her brother, doesn’t really understand how things work so Catherine created rules for him to follow. At the clinic where her brother goes, she meets a friend who is in a wheelchair and can’t speak. They start off on the wrong foot, but later, with her amazing drawing skills and her caring personality, Catherine befriends Jason. Life gets harder for Catherine when she finally gets the neighbor she’s always wanted but doesn’t turn out to be the friend she’s dreamed of. Catherine makes mistakes but quickly tries to make things right. 

Cynthia Lord really was able to move me as I read this book, illustrating the struggles people with disabilities face including the stares and comments, and the family and friends that surround them as well. Because of the exposure this book gives about people with disabilities, I’d love to use it in my class, grade levels fourth to seventh, and have the student’s learn from it. In the end, I can have them research about them or other such as ADHD, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, deafness, etc. After researching, I’d have the students present to the class and learn from each other.