Rules Review by Allison Trippe

Bibliography

Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.   ISBN: 978-0439443838

Plot Summary

Rules tells the story of twelve-year-old Catherine and her first person account of what it is like to live with an autistic, younger brother. Like most kids her age, Catherine just wants to fit in, hang out with her friends, and live a semi-normal life. This proves to be difficult since she can’t catch a break from looking after her brother, David. David struggles to acquire social skills, and often embarrasses Catherine. Despite his disability, she loves David unconditionally. Catherine tries to help David by creating “rules” so he can navigate adolescence, and not fluster Catherine in public. When Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy in a wheelchair, she is forced to reconsider her own meaning of normal.

Critical Analysis

In her first novel, author Cynthia Lord creates unforgettable characters, a plausible plot, resonating themes, and uniquely tells the story from the point of view of a “tween”. Young readers will connect to Catherine, the main character, because she often feels invisible, as if she has been overlooked. Catherine is expected to look after her younger brother, David, more than she would like. She wants to be free to come into her own and socialize with her own friends. Somehow, however, David is always getting in the way. Her character will strike a chord with teenage readers since they will relate to her resentment of a younger sibling.

The plot of Rules is relevant and plausible. With the introduction of the character of Jason, readers will be engaged and wonder what kind of relationship will be developed between Catherine and Jason. The setting is able to transcend a specific place in the United States. Taking place in the summer, young readers will relate to the lack of structure in daily schedules and further the relevancy of the plot.

Many themes will resonate with readers, the strongest of these being compassion, empathy and communication. Catherine continuously shows compassion and empathy for two characters. She shows compassion to David by trying to help him understand social norms. She doesn’t always want to step in to guide him, but she does so because she loves her brother. Despite her internal struggle to help her brother or not, she always makes compassionate decisions to maintain his dignity. Catherine shows empathy for Jason, a character who uses a wheelchair for mobility. Jason is also non-verbal, and uses communication cards to interact with people. Catherine tries to imagine what it would be like if she was unable to speak or walk. She creates new communication cards for Jason so he is able to broaden his base for expressing himself. Readers young and old will learn a great deal about compassion and empathy from Catherine’s character.

Rules is told in short chapters. Each chapter title is one of Catherine’s rules for David. Author Cynthia Lord weaves together humor with heartbreak, blending a balance of dialogue and narration. Since the story is told in first person, from Catherine’s point of view, the reader comes to know Catherine as she reveals her inner thoughts, feelings and struggles. Another unique quality of Rules is that some of the dialogue is revealed through communication cards. To achieve this, the author uses single words separated by periods, and written in bold print. This indicates when Jason’s character speaks. Catherine must empathize and infer some of his words in order to engage in conversation. This is a distinct way of incorporating dialogue, and developing the characters.

Overall, Rules is an enjoyable read containing dynamic characters, and an engaging plot. It will force anyone who reads it to ask themselves difficult questions about how they would handle situations in which Catherine finds herself. Because the author avoids typecasting the roles of her characters, both boys and girls will equally enjoy reading Rules.

Awards & Review Excerpts

• 2007 Newbery Honor Book
• 2007 Schneider Family Book Award
• 2006 Mitten Award
• 2009 Great Lakes Great Books Award
• 2008 Maine Student Book Award
• 2009 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award
• 2008 Kentucky Bluegrass Award
• 2007-2008 Great Stone Face Book Award
• 2008 Buckeye Children’s Book Award

From Publishers Weekly: “Appealing . . . entirely convincing. . . . A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view.”

From School Library Journal: “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.”

From Kirkus Review: “Middle-grade readers will recognize her longing for acceptance and be intrigued by this exploration of dealing with differences.”

Connections

• Use the Literature Circle Questions at the back of the book to spark meaningful discussions with students.
• Recommend that teachers use this book as a read-aloud since if offers many opportunities to discuss characters’ choices and motives.
• Recommend parents read this book with older siblings of children with autism.
• During or after reading the book, ask students to develop their own set of rules.
• After reading the book, ask students to create a set of communication cards to add to Jason’s communication book.

*Created as an assignment for a Texas Woman's University course.