Rules

Lord, C. (2008).   Rules.  NY:  Scholastic.

12 year old Catherine struggles with heavy concern about what others think about her, as she goes through everyday life with a brother with autism.  Catherine also befriends a young paraplegic boy, Jason, who cannot verbally talk, but communicates via word board.  As Catherine's relationship with Jason grows from just being a "clinic" relationship, to one where her "friends" and outsiders can see, Catherine realizes that she's not actually bothered by what people think about her brother and Jason, but what they think about her, and she is forced to face this issue in order to salvage relationships.  Lord makes Catherine a believable character that many adolescents can relate to.  Lord's natural and believable style keeps the reader engaged.  This story is valuable in today's world, where every student knows about at least one child with autism.  This is a great tool to help students understand a little more about autism.