Rules
Written by Cynthia Lord
Published by Scholastic Press
Copyright 2006
200 pages
Contemporary Realistic Fiction
A/R Level : 3.9
This book is an enjoyable read about a girl who is struggling to love and assist her autistic brother to make sense of the world around him while trying to avoid embarrassment and judgment from others against her and her brother. She hates how autism makes him become so easily subjected to ridicule by their peers and tries to avoid these types of conflicts by teaching her brother "rules" to live by. What is woven throughout the book are these rules that she has written for her brother but slowly become excellent rules for her and actually good rules for anyone to live by. She is such a likable character because she is honest about her dilemmas throughout the book. She struggles with fears about fitting in with her peers, helping her brother and later helping her new friend, Jason, who is confined to a wheelchair and cannot speak. We find a sweet friend in the main character, Catherine, and can learn many life lessons from her simple "rules".
This book could be used as a teacher read aloud to spark discussions about how everyone that you meet has situations in their life that are not easy to deal with and that it is hard for everyone to open up and make new friends. A discussion about sharing your own unique qualities with the world is worth the effort because everyone is different and everyone is valuable. You could begin this discussion and continue it throughout the reading of this book with a class.
This book strikes a cord with me. What a great book for a read aloud for my class this year. There are so many different types of learners and personalities in a classroom setting. Children need to learn how to relate to ALL in this world. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteShannon, this connected with me in such a way that I feel moved. I have a family member with ASD and her sister makes everyday shine bright for her. She has no idea of her disability, but she definitely feels like an outsider. You used great diction with your summary and you mad an amazing connection to the classroom!
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