Rules by: Cynthia Lord (realistic fiction)

This book stars twelve-year old Catherine and her brother David, who she has conflicting feelings about.  David is autistic, and while Catherine loves him, she wishes more than anything that he was normal. Feeling neglected by her parents and worried of what others may think; Catherine creates her own rules for David in hopes that he can understand the world better. Catherine is eager for a new friend when a girl her age named Kristi moves next door, but she is nervous about how she will react to David. Catherine longs for acceptance from Kristi and doesn’t know what to do about David. Things change when Catherine gets to know Jason, a wheelchair patient at her brother’s clinic that uses pictures to communicate. As she becomes closer to Jason, she begins to draw him pictures and vocabulary cards to broaden his speech. Catherine’s relationship with Jason causes her to question what normal is and she realizes that her rules for David are unnecessary. This was a great book on acceptance and differences.


I would use this book as one of my first literature circle groups with students at the beginning of the year. It is a great book to use with students when talking about acceptance of others despite their differences. This book would help me create a positive classroom environment for the remainder of the year and influence how my students treat one another.  After reading the book, I would have students pick a character out of the book and write to them, asking any questions they may have. This will allow students to ask questions they may wonder about in a more private manner, rather than a whole group discussion.