Newbery #1 Rules by: Cynthia Lord

Rules by: Cynthia Lord was unlike any story I have read. It is about a girl named, Catherine and her autistic brother, David. Catherine loves her brother but has conflicting feelings about his disabilty. She is embarrassed by it and feels that her parents neglect her. Her way of coping is creating "Rules" to live by for David. These are common sense rules ("No toys in the fish tank" or "If you can only choose one, pick carefully") that she hopes one day David will remember and follow. She makes friend with Krisiti, the girl that moves next door and is afraid how she will react to her brother's behavior. It isn't until Catherine meets Jason, a non-verbal parapelgic, that she begins to feel at peace with the differences that she sees in her brother. Jason's friendship begins to make her question what is normal.

This book would be ideal for children that are experiencing the same situation. It would also be great for children that are not in the same situation. It allows readers to learn about living as a sibling of someone with autism. So often, the feelings of the siblings are forgotten about because they are not the one with the disability.

I loved this book. The author chose the perfect words to tell this story. As I read the story, the text created vivid images for me. I also was amused by David's repeating of the stories of Frog and Toad. For me, it portrayed that there was a bond between Catherine. She would always answer David with a line from his beloved story. I cannot wait to start suggesting it to students!