RULES by Cynthia Lord

Bibliography

Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439443822

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Catherine tells about her summer. She has a brother, David, with autism, and this can be inconvenient and embarrassing for her at times. Plus, it is not fair that her parents give him most of the attention and always asks her to babysit. However, a new neighbor next door her own age and an unexpected new friend help Catherine to distinguish the things that truly matter from the trivial.

Critical Analysis

Lord takes on a topic that is hard to find in young adult novels, which is autism. Catherine tells her story and conveys to readers her life living with a younger brother with autism. The strength in this novel is that it brings readers closer to understanding the details involved with having a close relative with autism. Catherine describes many things in detail, such as her brother David’s speech patterns, intense emotions, and the frequent therapy visits involved. Readers also get a sense of the hardships that families with autistic children must face, such as Catherine’s resentfulness of always feeling that she must be responsible for her brother.

What I find lacking in this book is there are so many characters that are not developed fully. Catherine’s parents are naïve and seem unaware of the responsibility it takes to raise an autistic child. It seems work is the most important thing to them. Jason’s mother seems to exist just to take him around in his wheelchair. Kris, the new next-door neighbor who Catherine desperately wants to be friends with, comes across as the cookie-cutter shallow type. I was hoping to get more depth from the characters.

Heim (1994 quoted in Vardell) states that in many children’s books characters with a disability are used to grow another character. This is true in Rules. David and Jason, both characters with disabilities, are used so that Catherine reaches enlightenment at the end. Carroll and Rosenblum (2000 quoted in Vardell) state that the character with the disability should grow instead. However, no one knows if David or Jason benefit from emotional growth by the end of the novel.

Despite these shortcomings, I do like the insider perspective the novel gives on autism. Any child with an autistic sibling could benefit from reading this book. Hopefully, they can relate to Catherine’s love for her brother and the distress certain social situations bring.

Awards Won & Review Excerpts

• John Newbery Medal, 2007 Honor
• Schneider Family Book Award, 2007
• Booklist: "A heartwarming first novel."
• Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices: "The parent of an autistic child, Cynthia Lord writes with familiarity and empathy for Catherine and her family."
• Kirkus Reviews: "Catherine is an appealing and believable character, acutely self-conscious and torn between her love for her brother and her resentment of his special needs. Middle-grade readers will recognize her longing for acceptance and be intrigued by this exploration of dealing with differences."
• The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "his is an absorbing tale about valuing people even when it’s difficult, and it may encourage readers to consider the benefits and challenges of their own families and friends."

Connections

• Try reading Touch Blue (ISBN 9780545035316) also by Cynthia Lord.
• Try another good read about autism:

           Baskin, Nora Raleigh. Anything but Typical. ISBN 9781416963783

•  Visit Cynthia Lord’s website at http://cynthialord.com.

Reference

Vardell, Sylvia M. 2012. “Culture 6 Inclusive Lit: Cultural Markers; Awards.” Lecture. Texas Woman’s University. Denton, TX.