Skip to main content

Rules

Image
By Lauren
Rules
By Cynthia Lord
Scholastic Press, 2006. 200 pages.
Twelve-year-old Catherine has a younger brother named David, who is autistic. Because she is often embarrassed by him, she makes him lists of rules on how to act in public, such as "A boy takes off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts." While accompanying David to his occupational therapy classes, Catherine befriends a paralyzed boy named Jason. Jason is unable to speak, so he carries around a scrapbook of words that he can point to when trying to communicate. Catherine helps him by illustrating new, descriptive cards for him such as "Stinks a big one!" and "Whatever." She helps Jason to become expressive and more like any other teenager. Although Catherine is often angry and frustrated by her autistic brother, her friendship with Jason teaches her about tolerance and acceptance.

Cynthia Lord does a beautiful job of showing the humor and heartache of being a twelve year old girl, especially one living with a disabled brother. Although at times "Rules" breaks your heart, it ultimately leaves you with a sense of peace. This book has received many recognitions, including ALA Notable Children's Book, Schneider Family Book Award, and Newbery Honor Medal.
Labels:

Comments

Susan said…
An excellent book that appeals to different ages. Both me and my 11 year old daughter enjoyed reading it.
November 11, 2010 at 11:32 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

By DeeDee
Stand Tall By Siena Siegel by Joan Bauer Putnam, 2002, 182 pgs Realistic Fiction Tree is 12 years old and over 6 feet tall. That would be great if he were a basketball player, but he is not. Dealing with his unusual size is not Tree's only challenge. Tree's parents have recently gone through a divorce, and his grandfather has had his leg amputated as the result of an old Vietnam War injury. The strength of this book is the characterizations. All of the main characters are dimensional and sympathetic. Bauer sets the characters in real and often funny family situations. Best of all is the character of Tree. He is boy with a heart to match his stature. This is a great book for boys or girls ages 9-12, as a read aloud or for individual reading. This book could also be a good Rx book for children whose families are going through divorce, or for anyone who feels like they don't fit in.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The New Girl

By
The New Girl By Cassandra Calin New York: Graphix, 2024. Comic. 261 pages. 12-year-old Lia and her family have just moved from Romania to Montreal, and she's doing her best to keep up with the changes. But, she's homesick. She misses the rest of her family, her friends, and her favorite Romanian treats. She doesn't speak French and her English is shaky, which makes it hard to make friends, even in her international immersion class. And she's dealing with super painful menstrual cramps every month. But before long, Lia starts to hit her stride. She befriends the other bilingual girls in her class, she gets a spot as the artist for her school's magazine, and even has a new crush -- Julien. Though she may be the new girl, Lia is starting to fit in. This slice of life graphic novel is an adorable choice for middle grade readers and young teens. Lia is a likable protagonist and readers will have little difficulty relating to her adjustment to school. The text speaks to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker

By
  Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker By Heidi Heilig New York: Greenwillow Books, 2025. Fiction. 291 pages. Thanks to Cincinnati Lee's no good, dirty rotten, artifact stealing great great great grandfather, Cincinnati's family is now cursed and Cincinnati feels like it's up to her to break the curse. Which involves trying to steal the artifacts back from museums that her grandfather robbed from graves and archeological sites around the world and return them to their countries of origin. But when Cincinnati's first artifact stealing mission goes awry, she decides it might be more effective to steal an all-powerful artifact herself that she can use to break the curse - The Spear of Destiny. Unfortunately her race for the spear will pit her against art smugglers and thieves intent on finding the ancient artifact themselves. If you are looking for an Indiana Jones read-alike, this is the perfect for you! Heavy on the adventure with similar levels of mysticism to those seen in th...
Post a Comment
Read more