A. Bibliographic Data:
Rules, by Cynthia Lord, published by Scholastic in 2008; ISBN: 0545092078
B. Plot Summary:
Catherine is a fairly typical twelve-year-old girl with a life that is anything but typical. She lives with her parents and eight-year-old brother David, who has autism. Their lives revolve around David and his unique set of needs, and Catherine sets up rules to help him learn how to interact with people appropriately, such as “Chew with your mouth closed” and “Sometimes people laugh when they like you. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you.” Catherine spends her days worrying about David and what people think of their family, wishing for a normal life, and drawing beautiful pictures. She starts her summer with hope to be friends with the new girl who is moving into their house next door, and she is determined that this girl will not judge her first based on David. When she goes with David to clinic for Occupational Therapy, though, she begins an unexpected friendship with a boy there named Jason. Jason is confined to a wheelchair and must communicate with cards in a book, and Catherine unexpectedly offers to use her artistic skills to make him some cards. As the summer progresses, Catherine gets to know Jason better, learns what kind of friend she really wants, and discovers more about herself. Suddenly the rules are changing, and Catherine is just trying to keep up.
C. Critical Analysis:
As a teacher who works with students with autism, I was especially looking forward to reading this very well-reviewed book. Cynthia Lord does an excellent job describing the realities of a child with autism, giving readers a sense that they really know what Catherine and her family are going through. The characters are developed and come to life in their realism and imperfection, such as Catherine’s father who is chronically late and her mother who does not realize what a weight Catherine is carrying. Readers will especially relate to Catherine, who struggles with her desire to be normal as she is growing into herself. She tries to balance her desire to care for her brother and keep harmony in her family with her own wishes and hopes and the guilt that accompanies them. Catherine gets frustrated with David, even though she knows it his autism that makes him act embarrassingly and he cannot help it; then, she feels guilty for even getting irritated with him in the first place. On top of this, she is getting to know a good-looking, interesting young man who just happens to be stuck in a wheelchair and unable to talk. She is torn between wanting to be friends with Jason and worrying about what other people will think seeing them together. She knows that it is not his fault that he is in a wheelchair any more than it is David’s that he has autism, but she still struggles with how to be comfortable being with him. As their friendship blossoms into the possibility of something more, Catherine has to face the tough, realistic decision of what is truly most important to her. Such a dilemma makes Catherine and easy character to relate to, with good intentions and difficult choices. Jason is also a well-rounded and likeable character, with impressive depth despite his minimal dialogue. The language used is appropriate for the age of characters and the setting, and the plot progresses in a natural, believable way. The topic has not been addressed in young adult fiction much before, making this a particularly original story, but one to which readers can relate nonetheless. The themes of growing up, deciding what really is right and normal, and learning to see beyond surface differences and disabilities are universal and transcendent, so that this story will remain engaging and important to future readers. Lord’s style is shown without overpowering the story, and I look forward to reading more from her.
D. Review Excerpts:
~ Newbery Honor Book, 2007
~ Winner, Schneider Family Book Award (Middle School), 2007
~ “The details of autistic behavior are handled well, as are depictions of relationships: Catherine experiences some of the same unease with Jason that others do in the presence of her brother. In the end, Jason helps Catherine see that her rules may really be excuses, opening the way for her to look at things differently. A heartwarming first novel.” – Booklist
Rules, by Cynthia Lord, published by Scholastic in 2008; ISBN: 0545092078
B. Plot Summary:
Catherine is a fairly typical twelve-year-old girl with a life that is anything but typical. She lives with her parents and eight-year-old brother David, who has autism. Their lives revolve around David and his unique set of needs, and Catherine sets up rules to help him learn how to interact with people appropriately, such as “Chew with your mouth closed” and “Sometimes people laugh when they like you. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you.” Catherine spends her days worrying about David and what people think of their family, wishing for a normal life, and drawing beautiful pictures. She starts her summer with hope to be friends with the new girl who is moving into their house next door, and she is determined that this girl will not judge her first based on David. When she goes with David to clinic for Occupational Therapy, though, she begins an unexpected friendship with a boy there named Jason. Jason is confined to a wheelchair and must communicate with cards in a book, and Catherine unexpectedly offers to use her artistic skills to make him some cards. As the summer progresses, Catherine gets to know Jason better, learns what kind of friend she really wants, and discovers more about herself. Suddenly the rules are changing, and Catherine is just trying to keep up.
C. Critical Analysis:
As a teacher who works with students with autism, I was especially looking forward to reading this very well-reviewed book. Cynthia Lord does an excellent job describing the realities of a child with autism, giving readers a sense that they really know what Catherine and her family are going through. The characters are developed and come to life in their realism and imperfection, such as Catherine’s father who is chronically late and her mother who does not realize what a weight Catherine is carrying. Readers will especially relate to Catherine, who struggles with her desire to be normal as she is growing into herself. She tries to balance her desire to care for her brother and keep harmony in her family with her own wishes and hopes and the guilt that accompanies them. Catherine gets frustrated with David, even though she knows it his autism that makes him act embarrassingly and he cannot help it; then, she feels guilty for even getting irritated with him in the first place. On top of this, she is getting to know a good-looking, interesting young man who just happens to be stuck in a wheelchair and unable to talk. She is torn between wanting to be friends with Jason and worrying about what other people will think seeing them together. She knows that it is not his fault that he is in a wheelchair any more than it is David’s that he has autism, but she still struggles with how to be comfortable being with him. As their friendship blossoms into the possibility of something more, Catherine has to face the tough, realistic decision of what is truly most important to her. Such a dilemma makes Catherine and easy character to relate to, with good intentions and difficult choices. Jason is also a well-rounded and likeable character, with impressive depth despite his minimal dialogue. The language used is appropriate for the age of characters and the setting, and the plot progresses in a natural, believable way. The topic has not been addressed in young adult fiction much before, making this a particularly original story, but one to which readers can relate nonetheless. The themes of growing up, deciding what really is right and normal, and learning to see beyond surface differences and disabilities are universal and transcendent, so that this story will remain engaging and important to future readers. Lord’s style is shown without overpowering the story, and I look forward to reading more from her.
D. Review Excerpts:
~ Newbery Honor Book, 2007
~ Winner, Schneider Family Book Award (Middle School), 2007
~ “The details of autistic behavior are handled well, as are depictions of relationships: Catherine experiences some of the same unease with Jason that others do in the presence of her brother. In the end, Jason helps Catherine see that her rules may really be excuses, opening the way for her to look at things differently. A heartwarming first novel.” – Booklist
~ “Catherine is an appealing and believable character, acutely self-conscious and tom between her love for her brother and her resentment of his special needs. Middle-grade readers will recognize her longing for acceptance and be intrigued by this exploration of dealing with differences.” – Kirkus Reviews
~ “The appealing, credible narrator at the heart of Lord's debut novel will draw in readers, as she struggles to find order and balance in her life. . . . In the able hands of the author, mother of an autistic child, Catherine's emotions come across as entirely convincing, especially her alternating devotion to and resentment of David, and her guilt at her impatience with him. . . . A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view.” – Publishers Weekly
E. Connections:
~ Discuss with students the challenges faced by the characters with disabilities, and by those without.
~ Talk about times when students have felt uncomfortable around people who are different and why.
~ Have students create their own lists of rules for their lives.
~ Have a student with a disability speak to a group of typical students about what it is like to live with that disability; or watch Intricate Minds: Understanding Classmates with Asperger Syndrome, by Coulter Video, 2006
~ Have students create illustrations for chosen scenes in the book.
~ “The appealing, credible narrator at the heart of Lord's debut novel will draw in readers, as she struggles to find order and balance in her life. . . . In the able hands of the author, mother of an autistic child, Catherine's emotions come across as entirely convincing, especially her alternating devotion to and resentment of David, and her guilt at her impatience with him. . . . A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view.” – Publishers Weekly
E. Connections:
~ Discuss with students the challenges faced by the characters with disabilities, and by those without.
~ Talk about times when students have felt uncomfortable around people who are different and why.
~ Have students create their own lists of rules for their lives.
~ Have a student with a disability speak to a group of typical students about what it is like to live with that disability; or watch Intricate Minds: Understanding Classmates with Asperger Syndrome, by Coulter Video, 2006
~ Have students create illustrations for chosen scenes in the book.
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