Book Review - Rules

Rules
Cynthia Lord
Scholastic Press (April 1, 2006)

SPOILER ALERT: The following review contains plot points that you may not want to know about before reading the book.

In short: A sympathetic and realistic novel exploring the family dynamics of disability and the individual dynamics of dealing with differences between people.

Twelve year old Catherine has an autistic (autism, according to the National Institute of Health, is a mental illness that affects a person's ability to communicate, form relationships and respond appropriately to the environment) younger brother, David, who, she feels, causes her embarrassment and pain at the most inconvenient times.

"I click my seat belt across me and open my sketchbook to the back pages. That's where I keep all the RULES I'm teaching David 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."

Catherine has created rules for David to, hopefully, save her, and him, further embarrassment.

"Don't stand in front of the TV when other people are watching it."

"A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts."

"Some people think they know who you are, when really they don't."

"No toys in the fish tank."

As she gets to know Jason, a paraplegic at David's therapist's office, she begins to look at things in a different way and begins to mature as she does.

"I didn't tell Kristi everything about you. I didn't tell her about your wheelchair or your communication book. I didn't know how she'd react. I should've because you're my friend, but it got harder and harder," I drop my gaze to the tiled floor. "No, that's an excuse, too. The real truth is I was scared what she might think of me, not you."..."You're a good friend," I say, "and I've been - weak."

With nothing truly objectionable, except the ubiquitous middle school romance (really, is this all they think about?), this is a pleasurable and tender novel of family life and relationships.