Rules by Cynthia Lord
Rules
by Cynthia Lord
(Audio)
Catherine's brother is autistic and, thus, he doesn't always understand the things he's supposed to--like how you shouldn't put toys in the fish tank or how you should say hi back when someone says hi to you. There are a whole list of rules she writes and keeps to help him. And she has rules of her own that she lives by.
One day, while waiting in the waiting room when her brother's in his occupational therapy session, she meets a boy about her age. Jason is in a wheelchair and can't speak; he has a book of word cards and points to them to communicate. She's a great drawer and ends up making him a few communication cards. Slowly, Jason comes out of his shell. And slowly Catherine realizes that the normal friendship she wants from the new girl next door might not be all it's cracked up to be.
I really enjoyed this book. Its messages were strong and not coated in silly childhood metaphors. But it presented its issues of acceptance and realization in normal ways. Yeah, I could believe it every time Catherine blew up at her brother or thought things that are maybe not PC. But that's real, it's how she was feeling. And, in the end, she grew and we grew with her. And the outcome was satisfying and sweet.
I loved all the characters, even her parents that have a tough time giving her their time because they're so set on taking care of her brother with so many needs. Jason was fantastic; he was my favorite. And the whole situation reminded me of some incidents I had in my childhood with people in my classes. I also really loved how they kept borrowing lines from Frog & Toad books, as those were some of my favorites as a child.
Altogether, a fun read. Thank you, FCPS shelves, for giving me an excuse to read this one!