Rules book review

Bibliography

Lord, C. 2006. Rules. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.. ISBN 9780439443838.

Plot Summary

“Rules” is a fictional novel that focuses on the life of Catherine and her autistic brother, David. Catherine struggles with accepting her brother’s condition, wishing he was “normal”. However, as the story progresses, Catherine becomes more accepting of her brother’s condition. Throughout the story, Catherine explains different rules to David, starting with the rule she told him as they waited for their dad to arrive home: “Late doesn’t mean not coming.” She continues to provide and explain different rules to David, with each chapter titled by a new rule for him. While Catherine waits for David during his occupational therapy sessions, Catherine befriends Jason, who uses wheelchair and communicates by pointing to words in his communication book since he is mute. Catherine also befriends her neighbor, Kristi, and tries to impress her so that Kristi can be her best friend. However, she is afraid to have Kristi around David because of his daily sporadic actions: shouting, pulling his pants down in public, and always wanting to open doors. This view changes when she argues with Jason after he claimed that she was embarrassed to be around him while attending a community dance. This makes Catherine realize that she is not embarrassed to be seen with him nor David but rather scared of her own insecurities of what others may think of her. Catherine then realizes that she needed to let go of that fear and thus breaks free from it and finally accepts her brother as a normal person with autism.

Critical Analysis

The experiences of a child with autism and his family is expressed with an esoteric tone throughout “Rules.” This novel not only focuses on a character who has autism, but it also shows the experiences, struggles, and rewards of a family with an autistic child. In doing so, it not only brings awareness to people who are not autistic and is not related to someone with autism, but it also shares a relatable tale to those who can identify themself or someone close to them with autism. For instance, the sister admits that she does not want to take her brother to some places because her autistic brother acts out sporadically, sometimes pulling his pants down at random times. While this may seem a bit heartless to some readers, this can also be seen as a relatable action and experience to families with an autistic child. The story can also serve as a criticism to those who are not aware that people with autism can understand others’ actions towards them. This reinforces both a relatable perspective of having an autistic family member as well as a new and insightful story to those who are unaware of the experiences and insights of someone with autism.

Review Excerpt(s)

• 2007 John Newbery Honor Book
• 2007 Schneider Family Book Award Winner
• Publisher’s Weekly: “A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others’ points of view” (April 3, 2006).
• Kirkus Review: “Middle-grade readers will recognize her longing for acceptance and be intrigued by this exploration of dealing with differences” (May 20, 2010).

Connections

• If there's a student in the classroom with a sibling with Autism, they may feel comfortable enough to discuss any similarities or differences they can relate to in this story.
• This would be a great book to read during Autism Awareness month and have class discussions on Autism.
• Students can write about a time they felt too embarrassed to do something but overcame their embarrassment and accomplished it.