Some people think they know who you are, when really they don't. Her friend is spending the summer '7-8 business days for mail to travel' in Califormia, so the reader can assume Catherine lives on the East Coast.) Catherine's house (Catherine lives near the ocean.Setting: Present Day - The story begins on the first day of summer vacation. How not to start third grade by Cathy Hapka and El.Reading Level: Lexile Measure 670L, Scholastic Guided Reading Level RĪpproximate Word Count: 34,945 words - The average reader will spend 2 hours and 19 minutes reading Rules at 250 words per minute.*īook Themes: Treating People Equally, Autism, Using Others for Emotional Needs, Value of Having Rules.Upstairs mouse, downstairs Mole by Wong Herbert Yee.Little Rat makes Music By Monika Bang-Campbell ill.įinally this is another one of those books from Scholastic with extras at the back including an interview with the author. Rules is a book for middle-grade readers that has remained popular and in print from the time of its initial publication. Rules, a realistic fiction novel written by Cynthia Lord describes a young teen living with her autistic brother and the struggles she faces while trying to have an adventurous summer with a new friend and having to deal with the stigma attached to her brother. Other books with a similar theme in our school library include I Nigel Dorking, A corner of the Universe by Ann Martin, Wish by Felice Arena and Looking for X by Deborah Ellis. While this is not a book for everyone, I really enjoyed it and would think it would appeal to students in Senior Primary classes.

It is Jason who brings a layer of real humanity and humility to this story. Life for Catherine consists of a new and potential friend next door Kristi, the school bully Ryan who seems to be friends already with Kristi and her blossoming friendship with Jason, who is a boy locked into a wheelchair, unable to speak. The familiar words of this much loved story are a comfort to David in this world of confusion. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you’ and finally the most important rule of all ‘ No toys in the fish tank.’ĭavid loves the story of Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel and even though he is now too old for this story, he recites the text word for word quoting snatches of dialogue between frog and toad. Catherine has spent years trying to teach David the rules of life… ‘ chew with your mouth closed’, ‘sometimes people laugh when they like you. This seems impossible at school, at the shops, in social situations and even in her own family with a brother like David who has autism. This, however, should not deter you from picking up this beautifully written, sensitive and humorous story.Ĭatherine, our narrator, is twelve and all she wants is a normal life. Rules has at it’s heart a very difficult subject – a sibling with a disability in this case autism.

Rules by cynthia lord full book