Review: RULES by Cynthia Lord

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. New York: Scholastic. ISBN 0439443822.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In Rules, we meet Catherine, a twelve year-old who struggles to maintain some normalcy in her life even though most of her life revolves around the needs of her autistic younger brother. A ray of hope beckons when she finds out that the family who is moving in next door has a daughter her age. She imagines having someone with whom she can swim with and share secrets.
One day on a trip to the therapist’s office, Catherine befriends a young boy in a wheelchair who is also a patient at the clinic. She is now faced with trying to develop friendships with two very different individuals.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lord presents a humor-filled, yet thought-provoking story in this novel. The protagonist is a helpful, understanding young girl who is doing the best she can to teach her younger brother all of the social do’s and don’ts while also trying to grow up herself. She is faced with many problems throughout the book. First, it is difficult for her to establish friendships because of the embarrassing actions of her brother. She also struggles with her conflicting feelings about the responsibilities of helping out with her brother and also having time for herself. Finally, she is faced with the dilemma of telling her “popular” friend about her “handicapped” friend and how the secret may come back to haunt her.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Newberry Honor Book
Schneider Family Book Award PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: “A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view.”SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “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.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Students could write letters of encouragement to Catherine to help her deal with the difficulties entailed with having a brother like David.
*Have students develop their own list of rules for a child who is autistic.
*Investigate further the disorder of autism to give students a more in depth understanding of the disability.