Rules

Catherine is twelve years old, and her younger brother David is eight. David has autism, and so Catherine creates a list of rules for him in order to help him remember what to do in certain situations. Things like: No toys in the fish tank, Say "excuse me" after you burp, and Don't stand in front

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of the tv when other people are watching it. Some of her rules are more complicated such as: a boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts. And some of her rules are more like life lessons: Sometimes people laugh when they like you, but sometimes they laugh to hurt you. In addition to her rules for David, Catherine has rules for herself, and these rules are insights into how she feels about her role as David's older sister, after all, a twelve year old can only handle so much when she is often cast into the role of parent. She is optimistic but also pragmatic: Sometimes you've gotta work with what you've got, and Pantless brothers are not my problem.

This book is a delightful and touching glimpse into a household where autism is a part of daily life. Written in first person from Catherine's point of view, the reader is treated to a twelve year old's take on how life works when you find yourself in charge but not in control of someone you love.

"When I open my eyes, David's staring at me, inches from my face. Most people say if you tell a wish it won't come true. But I don't think wishes work like that. I don't believe there's some bad-tempered wish-fairy with a clipboard, checking off whether or not you've told...But it's a long shot I'll get my wish, so even if there is a fairy in charge of telling, it won't matter.

'I wish everyone had the same chances,' I say. 'Because it stinks a big one that they don't. What about you? What did you wish for?'

'Grape soda.'

I can't help smiling."

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Cath's brother David has Autism. She has trouble accepting his behaviors. Cath is embarrassed by David's behaviors due to his autism. Through the story Cath begins to grow as a character. This book is a good example of what it might be like to be part of a family that struggles with Autism.

In this Newbery Honor novel, Catherine wishes her autistic brother could just be normal, so she writes a bunch of rules for how he must behave. After befriending someone in a wheelchair and struggling with how her new neighbor will view her brother and friend, Catherine searches for acceptance and

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normality. This book will encourage 4th graders to redefine their definition of normal.

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I loved Catherine's point of view - how much she loves David and yet how difficult he is too. And how hard it is to stick out when all you want is to fit in and be like everyone else. I think it is hard to not be sensitive, but just like she learned when she went to the dance with Jason, doing

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things that are scary can end up being a good thing.

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I loved this book very much. This book is about a family with a girl and her autistic brother. It's vry heart felt and I think that if you haven't read it and your in grade 6 or up, you schould really take the time to read it. I'm sure that if you read it, you'll love it. But if you don't comment

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this and tell me why you didn't like it.

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As an older sister to a brother with Autism, this book really struck home. I related to how she kept a list of rules and took on the burden of trying to help socialize him around others and the embarrassment of how others look at your loved one. The book took on a very sensitive matter of how

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family members often feel isolated and helpless. I loved the fact that the author choose to go against mainstream literature and provide a novel about and for the support of people with disabilities. I will suggest this read to my son when he is older and hope it sheds light on his Uncles disability and the value of true friendships. Plus, how it is okay to have hurtful feelings, but remember others suffer when you act them badly. Excellent, easy read!

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Rules by Cynthia Lord is a simple yet heart felt story. At the age of twelve all Catherine wants is to fit in and be considered normal but this is something that isn’t always possible. Her brother, David, is autistic, and with his special needs and, at times. uncontrollable behavior, he stands

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out and, Catherine feels, shines a spotlight on her as well. She copes by developing rules for him. Her rules are made to fit every situation, from the simple, No Toys in the Fish Tank and Chew With Your Mouth Closed to the more complicated, Sometimes People Laugh Cause They Like You, But Sometimes They Laugh To Hurt You. Although David can drive her crazy, she loves and cares for him and doesn’t want him exposed to ridicule and teasing.

With warmth, love and humor, Rules shows how living with a child that sees life differently from everybody else can be both very rewarding and very frustrating. Catherine is on the brink of learning that she can’t control every situation or person, and at times, it is best to just let things happen without having any rules to get in the way.

Although somewhat contrived, I found Rules to be a touching look at a young girl’s conflicted feelings of living with her autistic brother. The author paints a realistic picture that allows there are no simple answers in life while asking the question "What is normal anyway?".

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Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of experience in making rules. They are necessary when dealing with her little brother with autism. "No toys in the fish tank. Keep your pants on in public. Flush!" She's tired of always looking out for David, sick of being embarrassed by his impulsive behavior,

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and resentful that David gets all the attention. When a new girl moves in next door, Catherine is desperate to make a new friend - as long as David doesn't blow it. At the same time, she starts communicating with another boy in the lobby at David's therapy. The boy, Jason, is wheelchair-bound and speaks through picture cards. As Catherine makes two very different sorts of friends, she has to learn what friendship and communication really mean - and that those traits are important to her little brother David, too.

This simple middle-grade fiction really hit me hard. My four-year-old son is autistic, and I saw a lot of his eccentricities mirrored in the book's David. The flapping and dancing, the reliance on memorized TV show scripts to communicate, the social ignorance. It was painful at times. Lord really did a great job at showing the wide range of an autist's behaviors. The end was pretty predictable - you know that Catherine will mature - but it was still touching. The way Catherine and her brother communicated in their own little language (dialogue quoted from Frog and Toad) made me teary-eyed. It was really beautiful. It might not be "normal," but it worked, and it showed how much they love each other.

Many thanks to the fellow reviewer on 50bookchallenge who posted about this book a month or two ago. Rules is a keeper, and would help a lot of kids (and adults) have a greater understanding of children with special needs.

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My daughters and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. We read it aloud together and laughed out loud at many touching points. My oldest daughter has developmental delays, she is 25 years old now and she has a good sense of humor. When the twelve year old main character has to deal with her 8 year old

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Autistic brother, she develops a rules notebook.

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I thought this was a fun book about learning to be different and being proud of it and being who you are.

What kind of rules would you teach your younger brother? "It's fine to hug mom, but not the video store clerk" and "A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts": These are the rules that Catherine has to teach her younger brother with autism. What happens the summer when Catherine has

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to deal with taking care of her brother, getting a new next door neighbor who would be a great best friend, and making a new, different kind of friend. Read this uplifting story to find out all the answers!

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This book is a delight. Wonderful language, authentic characters, interesting plot. (although predictable). This is an important topic and 1:150 children born today are diagnosed with autism. The main character is dealing with all the usual frustrations of being a tweenager, but she has a little

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brother with autism. I would highly recommend this cute book. I don't like the cover or the title, they both turn me off. Too bad about that.

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This book, about a young girl who has to live with a severly autistic brother whom she both dearly loves and hates, is aimed at kids much younger than me, but I couldn't help but love it.

Cathine wants a normel brother, but David, who has autism, cannot be so. As she lives a turbulent summer, she is forced to realise that normal may not be the best, and disabilities can bring people together.

Catherine is a 12 year old girl who has an autistic brother. She gives him rules all the time to try and help him set some boundaries. While all this is going on she tries hard to grow up through the beginning of her teenage years. With a brother that is autistic it is just harder for her until she

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realizes that maybe it doesn't matter what others think.

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for children, very touching, how kids deal with other kids who are mentally or physically handicapped

Rules was one of the best children’s stories I have ever read. One of the main purposes of fiction is to help us understand other people’s lives and experiences, and this book achieves that purpose. It is difficult for people in middle-class, modern America to interact with people who have

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disabilities, who aren’t normal. I personally have difficulty relating to such people – I feel sorry for them, but I don’t know how to behave around them. This became complicated when my little sister, who is now nine years old, was diagnosed with mild autism. I love her very much, but, like Catherine, I get frustrated when people treat her differently. I often wish that she could just be “normal” so that she wouldn’t have to get hurt.

Cynthia Lord did a wonderful job of creating very human, believable, empathetic characters who had disabilities. She was also very effective at describing the struggles and frustrations of their family members. As the mother of an autistic child, Lord explores many of her own questions and discoveries about living with autism through this book. It contains many wonderful insights about dealing with insecurities and differences, and showing compassion throughout. Every child should read this book.

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This book was completely not like I thought it would be. It's about Katherine, a twelve year old girl trying to make a new friend and deal with her younger brother David who has autism. One day while she's at the clinic where David has occupational therapy, Katherine meets Jason. Jason is another

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patient at the clinic. Jason has cerebral palsy and he communicates using a book with pictures. Katherine creates some new pictures for him and begins a friendship that becomes very important to them both. Katherine learns a lot about communication and the importance of having words, even if they're negative words.

I listened to the audio recording of this book and I thought the narrator was perfect for the story. Here's an important story with a down-to-earth narrator that will actually appeal to kids.

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this novel tackles autism through a 12-year-old's perspective. overall it is a light-hearted, realistic and touching depiction of every day in the life of a family who has a member with special needs. the plot is simple, the writing unburdened. i can almost perfectly picture what all the characters

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see, think and feel.

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You can yell on a playground, but not during dinner.
It’s fine to hug Mom, but not the clerk at the video store.
Keep your pants on! Unless Mom, Dad, or the doctor tells you to take them off.
These are the Rules. They may seem pretty obvious to you, but to Catherine’s brother David, they are

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hard to remember and follow. David has autism and his older sister Catherine is tired of being embarassed by him when he doesn’t follow the Rules. Now she’s working hard to keep things normal-looking when her best friend goes away for the summer and a new girl moves in next door. Can she pull it off, or will she need some Rules of her own?

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The story of a12 year old girl with an autistic brother and a new friend in a wheelchair. Catherine comes to terms with her embarrassment over their differences.

Classroom Connection: I would use this for a lit circle group with 6th graders. There are many themes that could be discussed, family,

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physical and mental differences, friendship. This book could also be used as a read aloud in a 4-6 grade class. I think it is too young for 7-8 grades.

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Children's Literature - Joan Kindig, Ph.D.
Growing up with an autistic younger brother is not easy and it seems far harder when the pre-teen years hit. Catherine feels as though David's needs far overshadow her own in the family but the embarrassment his behavior causes her is the worst of it.

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Nevertheless, Catherine understands what David's world is like and when she snaps at him, she is beset by guilt. It is this sensitivity that allows her to befriend a boy her age with severe communication problems who is wheelchair-bound. Gaining a stronger sense of herself and demanding what she needs as a member of the family allows her to move beyond embarrassment into acceptance. This is a story that depicts the impact of a needy child on an entire family very realistically. One of the treats in this book is that David echoes words rather than generating his own and he frequently speaks in lines he remembers from Arnold Lobel's Frog & Toad. 2006, Scholastic, Ages 9 to 12.

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A delightful book. Catharine seeks to create "norms" to structure and understand her life with her autistic brother. At a transitional time in her own adolescence she is dealing with her own self-consciousness, and learning how to become the person she wants to be. Vivid use of color, authentic

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dialogue, and lovely metaphors throughout.

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This is the story of a twelve year old girl who has a younger brother with autism. She spends a lot of her time trying to teach her brother "rules" so he can appear more "normal" to other people. Her dilemma becomes complex when she befriends another boy with a communication board who travels in a

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wheelchair while she is also trying to impress her new neighbor. This book explores the definition of "normal" and the boundaries of acceptance of different ways of being, behaving, and communicating. I really liked this book and how it put a human face on how people who have difficulty communicating really feel. I do wonder if many people could be as brave as the main character in the social situation of a junior high aged dance. The characters are believable and the reader can identify with the complex emotions portrayed in this book.

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