Rules, by Cynthia Lord

Rules. We all have them. Rules help us make it through the day. Rules help us avoid trouble at home and detention at school. There are rules that even help us work as a society and keep us out of police cars. For Catherine's little brother, David, rules help him accomplish little things that we wouldn't even think twice about.

Keep your pants on.

No toys in the fish tank.

These are just two of the rules that Catherine keeps in the back of her journal. Her list is never ending and never finished as each day she tries to live a "normal" life. Unfortunately around Catherine's house life never seems to be normal when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around it. Throughout the story we get a glimpse of Catherine's day to day life. Each time she's worried that it won't be normal due to David's unpredictable behavior. When a new girl moves in next door Catherine is beyond excited at what this could mean. But in the back of her mind she keeps asking herself "Will David ruin this for me"? Catherine's outlook changes as she attends physical therapy appointments for her brother and meets Jason. This new friendship changes her outlook on the world around her and on her relationship with her brother.

Rules is a must read, easy to finish book. Ms. Lord was able to truly create an amazing story that everyone can relate to and could surely learn from. Everyday we see people around us that are different and don't realize how difficult it is to be them or even to be a part of their family. I love how the author uses Catherine's character to show us emotionally and physically what it would be like to have a sibling with a disease such as autism. If (and when) you read this book I'm hoping you'll be a little more accepting of the others around you.

JAC