Rules by Cynthia Lord

Annotation #3: Rules

Catherine, the protagonist in Cynthia Lord’s Rules, is a twelve year old on a mission to discover normalcy. Living with a brother with autism is not easy, so in an effort to keep David in line, Catherine starts writing rules in her sketchbook for him to remember. Catherine is also looking for a friend, hoping it will be the new neighbor next door. However, on her quest for true friendship, she also meets Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses pictures to communicate. As Catherine discovers the ins and outs of ‘normalcy’ and rules, she realizes that behavior rules, like “don’t put toys in the fish tank” and “don’t take off your pants unless mom or dad or the doctor tells you to” mean nothing next to the acceptance of others.

The book in itself might be good for a group of students at reading level in a sixth grade class, but might be too elementary for an older student, say seventh or eighth grade, who is at reading level.  The book also has excellent vocabulary words and an interesting story pattern. The writing style of the text was also conversational and interesting, although seemed elementary at times. I think the rules would be an interesting thing to incorporate into an activity with students where they could create their own life rules. Catherine also keeps a sketchbook with drawings and other notes, which could make for an interesting activity as well. The author of the book, Cynthia Lord, speaks from experience because her son has autism. I think this makes her an extremely reliable source on what living with a child with autism is actually like. I think this would make a great choice if you’re looking to diversify the topics your students are reading about. Although I felt the ending fell kind of flat, I think it’s a good book for students to dive into and could really help them understand a different kind of lifestyle.