Module 7: Rules

Summary

This is a story about Catherine, a twelve year old girl who has a brother, David, that is autistic. She helps him navigate daily life by keeping a list of rules for him to follow. They are simple lessons that help him better understand people and everyday situations.  You can tell that a lot is expected of Catherine.  She helps her parents watch David so that he is safe and happy. It's clear that she loves David dearly. You can tell by the patient way that she talks to him and by the loving forethought she puts into making situations comfortable for him.  She feels very responsible for David, but also feels frustrated and rebellious at times because she feels her needs are being neglected.  This becomes evident when she makes two friends over the summer. One is her new neighbor, Kristi, a girl her age that Catherine is hoping will be her new best friend. The other is Jason, a wheel-chair bound boy her age that can't speak but is witty and smart, and communicates with Catherine through the word cards she makes for him.  Catherine tries to live two different lives, one that includes her brother and Jason, and one that is free from people with special needs.  She tries to keep the two groups from colliding, but eventually realizes that it is not only unrealistic, but unfair to everyone.  In the end, Catherine finds a way to have a voice and life of her own, one that includes her family, brother, and new friends.

Lord, C. (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic Press.

Impressions
This book is told from the perspective of a twelve year old, and it truly honors the feelings and perspective of that age.  This book has received a lot of recognition, and I believe it's because Cynthia Lord gives an honest portrayal of the feelings and thoughts a person like Catherine would be experiencing in this situation. The reader begins to feel the angst that Catherine feels when she is torn between her two worlds, and there is the impulse to reach out to her and let her know it's going to be ok. There is also a feeling of pride in Catherine at the end, when she figures out a way to take control of her life, and chooses to bring her two worlds together.  There are lessons in this book for everyone, and the reader embraces them because Lord delivers them through compassion, humor, and honesty.

Review

Cynthia Lord's heartwarming and humorous Rules, told from the viewpoint of 12 year old Catherine, is the story of a sister coming to terms with her autistic brother, David, and the 'rules' she sets for him, like "no toys in the fish tank" and "keep your pants on in public."  A Newbery Honor Book and winner of the Schneider Family Book Award, as well as many state awards, Rules is loosely based on Lord's now 19 year old daughter and her 17 year old son who is on the autism spectrum.  "It was the sibling's story that I most wanted to tell. I've watched my daughter grow up straddling two different worlds.  In one world, she navigated the challenges and joys of having a brother with autism and in another, she just wanted to be her own person.  It was my daughter's experiences that drew me to the story," says Lord.  "It's a big honor to be trusted with a child's true feelings.  Some of the most heartfelt, beautiful letters I receive are from siblings of children with disabilities.  They often read the book and then asked their parents to read it, too, so they can talk about it.  One mom told me her child handed Rules to and said, "Because I want you to know how I feel." In a time of more awareness of autism in the population, Lord hopes that by reading Rules and getting to know David, "readers will feel less fearful and more understanding of people with autism.  One great things about book characters is that we can talk freely about them.  With real people, we worry so much about their feelings and ourselves being judged.  Those worries keep us silent sometimes, instead of talking, we writers write about the things that matter to us--and having a person with autism in your life matters greatly.

Crowley, S. (2009) The voices of autism: Up for discussion. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2009/08/opinion/the-voices-of-autism-up-for-discussion/#_

Library Uses

Librarians can have students consider "rules" they follow at school, home, or other situations.  Were these rules taught to them directly or did they learn them in some other way?  Is it important to follow rules?  How was Catherine trying to help David by making the rule list?  David and Catherine quoted from Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad are Friends (Lobel, 1970).  Why do students think this book was used by Catherine and David?  The Librarian can read the book to the students to learn more.  Catherine creates word cards for Jason.  Have students create word cards and put them together to made a dictionary. Discuss how Jason's life was made easier with the additional word cards Catherine made and the new mechanized wheel chair.  What types of things can help people with disabilities?  How do they think it impacts that person's life?  Catherine experiences a lot of personal growth during the story.  Have them identify the events that led to her decisions later in the book.

Lobel, A. (1970). Frog and Toad are Friends. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.