1. Title: Rules (2006) by Cynthia Lord; ISBN 0-439-44382-2; Scholastic Press; New York, New York; $15.99; 208 pp.
2. Genre: Fiction/General/Siblings with disabilities; grades 4-7.
3. Characters: The main character is twelve-year-old Catherine. She is a very caring and loving sister, but often worries what others will think of her because of her autistic brother. Catherine becomes easily embarrassed by her brother’s actions and is constantly correcting him so she can fit in. Catherine is also a great artist and often expresses her emotions through her drawings. David, Catherine’s autistic brother, tries to follow the rules Catherine sets out for him, but because of his disability he does not always understand the world around him. David is a very happy little boy, but likes things to be on time and expects promises to always be kept. Catherine’s mom is very protective of how others treat David and devotes all of her time to taking care of David. On the other hand, Catherine’s dad devotes all of his time to work and often breaks his promises to David. Catherine often feels like her parents spend all their time working or with David, thus forgetting about her. Another character is Jason, whom Catherine meets at David’s clinic. Jason is a paraplegic and has to use a word book to communicate, yet he is perhaps the greatest character in helping Catherine learn about disabilities and that it is okay to be different. Catherine sees Jason every time she goes to David’s clinic; the two become good friends through their ups and downs throughout the story. Also there is Kristi, Catherine’s next-door neighbor. Throughout the story Catherine tries extremely hard to make Kristi like her by pretending to be someone she is not.
4. Plot: Catherine thrives off the dream of a normal life, but she finds this impossible because of her little brother’s autism. However, she is determined to help David fit into society as much as possible by creating rules for him. Catherine keeps a book of rules for David, ranging from “No toys in the fish tank” to “Sometimes, people laugh when they like you. But sometimes, they laugh to hurt you.” As summer comes, so does a new next-door neighbor, Kristi. Catherine is anxious to impress twelve-year-old Kristi and has high hopes of them being best friends, but in order to achieve this Catherine feels like she cannot let Kristi find out about David. To Catherine’s surprise things do not go so smooth with Kristi, but she does find a surprising friend at David’s clinic, Jason. At first Catherine is scared of Jason, but slowly she discovers they have a lot in common and she can be herself around him. However, the true test comes when Catherine has to decide if her friendship with David is okay to display with the outside world. Throughout this touching story, the audience sees Catherine struggle to fit in with her peers, make new friends, attempt to gain her parent’s attention, and learn to accept and love her little brother just the way he is.
5. Touchy Areas: The book really does not have any touchy areas whatsoever. It paints a picture of the difficulties of growing up with a brother who has autism, but does so in a very respectful and learning manner. Some people might feel uncomfortable around those with disabilities, but this book helps the reader to see that special needs’ children deserved to be treated equally and can even become one’s friend.
6. Related Titles: The Sibling Slam Book: What It's Really Like To Have A Brother Or Sister With Special Needs (2005) by Don Meyer; Everybody Is Different: A Book for Young People Who Have Brothers or Sisters With Autism (2002) by Fiona Bleach; Autism through a Sister's Eyes (2001) by Eve B. Band Ph.D. and Emily Hecht; Views from Our Shoes: Growing Up With a Brother or Sister With Special Needs (1997) by Don Meyer
7. Movies: Miracle Run (2004); Miracle in Lane 2 (2000); The Secret Garden (1993)
Music: The Road to Acceptance (2004) by Green Day; I Am Shades of Life (2003) by Billy Gilman; Blessed (2001) by Martina McBride
Photos: http://www.nas.org.uk/content/1/c4/69/37/siblings.jpg (National Autistic Society - an autistic girl and her sister)
Related Websites: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer - The Autism Society of America; http://www.schoolzone.co.uk/resources/articles/GoodPractice/classroom/Special_needs/Understanding_disability.asp - A lesson plan on teaching disabilities; http://www.specialneeds.com/default.asp - An online bookstore full of resources on special needs; http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson115.shtml - Activities for teaching disabilities; http://www.parentlink.act.gov.au/parentguides/parentg_disabilitybrothersister.htm - A website for parents on how disabilities effect siblings
Art: Patience by Larry Bissonnette (an autistic artist)
Poems: Walk with me… (1999) Sally Meyer; One More Blessing (1999) Sally Meyer
8. Evaluation: I really enjoyed Rules because it gave an interesting look at how families are affected by disabilities. It is evident that it would be very difficult to suffer from a disability such as autism, and much respect has to be given to those who endure the disability everyday. However, it is just as significant to look at those who help take care of those with disabilities, and I believe Rules offers an exceptional look into the life of a sibling who cares for her autistic brother. It is hard to think of any adolescent books that offer this sibling perspective on disabilities, and I believe this book would be a great asset to have in any classroom. Although Catherine loved her brother, more than anything she just wished for a normal life. Catherine at times felt alone because she thought no one could understand what it was like to have an autistic brother and that her parents forgot about her because of their time devoted to David. Through all of this, I think books like Rules would be great to have in the classroom because it could greatly help a special needs child’s sibling see that he or she is not alone. I think Rules is also a great book for anyone because it gives a better look at disabilities in a very respectful and real way. The only think I disliked about the book was that Kristi was not more accepting of Jason. I would rate this book 8 out of 10.
9. Reviewed by: Emily Klausing