Rules

Author: Cynthia Lord

          The realistic fiction book, Rules, is a Newbery Honor Book and Schneider Family Book Award winner that follows the life of a 12-year-old girl named Catherine.  From Catherine's perspective, we learn that her little brother, David, has autism, and that, while she loves him very much, she constantly works to take care of him, often under the pressure of her parents.  Catherine, in her desperate desire to live a "normal" life, even creates a list of rules for David to try to make his life "easier" in terms of fitting in and avoiding embarrassing situations; however, Catherine still feels frustrated, overwhelmed, and ignored within her family.  One day at David's occupational therapy, Catherine befriends a wheelchair-bound boy who cannot speak (so he uses a communication book instead) named Jason.  Jason brings a fresh perspective into Catherine's life and causes her to re-think her own perceptions of normalcy and changes her life for the better.

          By telling the story from Catherine's point of view, Cynthia Lord immediately draws readers into the story.  Catherine is a very relatable character because she struggles with issues, such as her self-conscious desires to fit in and make friends.  She is ruled by her fear of embarrassment, depicted by the inner turmoil that readers can see as Catherine navigates between her love for her brother and her self-conscious desire to be "normal."  Furthermore, Catherine feels the pressure to care for her brother, while living under David's shadow, so Lord crafts her language to depict her need for parental love and attention too.

          Throughout her constant ups and downs from missing her best friend and trying to make new friends, Jason's presence helps Catherine come to great realizations about herself.  Her perspective allows readers to experience the powerful moment when her views on normalcy and rules change surrounding a community dance scene at the end of the novel.  Catherine realizes that what she really wants is to surround herself with those she loves, and to not fear what others think of her.  Additionally, by presenting the story through Catherine's voice, readers can relate to her when dealing with real situations involving family members, friends, or others who are often categorized as "others" in society.

          Each chapter is organized with one of Catherine's rules for David as the title, such as "no toys in the fish tank," which is repeated frequently throughout the novel, and even referenced in the cover illustration.  When explaining her rules, Catherine says they are "so if my someday-he'll-wake-up-a-regular-brother wish doesn't ever come true, at least he'll know how the world works, and I won't have to keep explaining things."  This quotation broke my heart, as did her constant wishes for a "regular" brother, because it presented David as broken, but it made her perspective shift at the end of the novel even more powerful for me to read.  Additionally, Catherine also had rules for herself, such as "no dancing unless I'm alone in my room or it's pitch-black dark," to protect herself from embarrassment.  She is constantly ruled by her fears of what others will think, so I loved when Jason called her out on her rule "excuses."

           As this story dealt with disability and family relationships surrounding disability, I was immediately reminded of Wonder in many ways, except that this story consists entirely of the sister's perspective.  The book explicitly draws on realistic experiences of how people often look away immediately when they see someone physically different from themselves, and uses this connection to enlighten readers about how harmful this can be.  Additionally, through Catherine and Jason's friendship, readers connect to and empathize with Jason as we see him experience various emotions when dealing with Catherine.

           I think this would be a great story for children in mid to upper elementary school to read, because Catherine's voice makes the story easily accessible and relatable to young readers.  I also think that this would be a great story for families to read together, as many of the issues present deal with family relationships that families could connect to and talk about.