A heartfelt and witty debut about feeling different and finding acceptance--beyond the rules.Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Wh...
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Dec 24, 2011
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
You can always tell when you're reading a book that has a basis in truth. With RULES, author Cynthia Lord writes about what it's like to live with autism, and she should know, since she has an autistic child.
That ring of truth is there, in every word, when you read the story of twelve-year old Catherine and her autistic younger brother, David.David hates loud noises. If there's a cloud in the sky, he has to take his red umbrella with hi More...
You can always tell when you're reading a book that has a basis in truth. With RULES, author Cynthia Lord writes about what it's like to live with autism, and she should know, since she has an autistic child.
That ring of truth is there, in every word, when you read the story of twelve-year old Catherine and her autistic younger brother, David.David hates loud noises. If there's a cloud in the sky, he has to take his red umbrella with hi More...
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Dec 30, 2008
Swee'tea
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This is a quick read, I read it in about a week or so. It is a VERY good book! What I liked best about the book, is how Cynthia Lord(the author) really understands how it's like to live with people with autism. I know this because she came to my school, and I met her. I liked how the book was about a who has the same experiences that I do, having a sibling with autism. I don't just recommend only people with relatives with autism to read this, I recommend everyone reading it. I have shared
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(15 people liked it)
Sep 13, 2011
Rebecca
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I've been trying to think of the best way to talk about this book. I read it in a night and then forced it upon my mother -who hardly ever makes the time to read- and she finished it in a night. Someday, when my sister is ready, I will have her read it too. This book was so sweet, and at moments, heart-wrenching. It's a simple story about a young girl who wants to be known for herself - not David's sister. Her eight-year-old brother has autism and because of his special needs, often takes the at
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Oct 27, 2011
Jim
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Rules, by author Cynthia Lord, is a touching look at the life of a young girl, Catherine, who's coping with the conflicting emotions of living with her autistic brother, David. And I was coping with the conflicting emotions of annoyance and boredom of reading this book.
Catherine, a normal 12 year old girl, has a huge role and responsibility in the care-taking of her autistic brother, David. Catherine must balance the love and the responsibility she feels for David with the embarr More...
Catherine, a normal 12 year old girl, has a huge role and responsibility in the care-taking of her autistic brother, David. Catherine must balance the love and the responsibility she feels for David with the embarr More...
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Aug 08, 2008
Nancy
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"Rules", by Cynthia Lord, is told from the perspective of Catherine, the 12-year-old sister of David, an autistic 8-year-old. Catherine, at 12, is dealing with finding a place in a family that seems to be centered around coping with David's needs for comfort and development. Catherine's mom is divided between managing a home business (leaving Catherine to care for David) and providing David the care and developmental therapy he needs. Catherine's dad seems to be mostly coping with his
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(5 people liked it)
Aug 26, 2011
Mina
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The fourth book I read this summer was rules by Cynthia lord, I personally found this book well written interesting with authenticity to it. This book was about a girl Catherine and her younger brother David who is autistic. Catharine is much like any ordinary girl and all she desires for is for David to wake up one day and for is autism to disappear, but Catharine knows that wish will never come true. Through out portions of the book Catharine feel that her world revolves around David, she has
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Mar 18, 2010
Gina
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Format: Chapter Book
Awards: Newbery Honor (2007), Schneider Family Book Award (2007)The Schneider award was given to Rules for its artistic expression of the disability experiences for adolescent readers.
Catherine makes a list of rules for her younger autistic brother to follow. She gives him these rules to help him fit in a little better, but also so he doesn't embarrass her. She loves her brother but at the same time wants to be able to live her own life. Kristi moves in ne More...
Awards: Newbery Honor (2007), Schneider Family Book Award (2007)The Schneider award was given to Rules for its artistic expression of the disability experiences for adolescent readers.
Catherine makes a list of rules for her younger autistic brother to follow. She gives him these rules to help him fit in a little better, but also so he doesn't embarrass her. She loves her brother but at the same time wants to be able to live her own life. Kristi moves in ne More...
Mar 17, 2009
Amitha
rated it:
I wasn't sure I would like this book at first because it is an "issues" book. I thought it would be about a girl who learns to accept her brother's disabilities, and while this is true, it was more a learning-to-fit-in-and-be-comfortable-with-yourself book. I'm still making it sound cheesy, but it really wasn't. Rather, it was hilarious and well-written. The main character, a twelve-year-old girl named Catherine, is highly relatable, and draws you in from the first chapter by telling
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Jan 19, 2008
Moira
rated it: 
Well, this was a nice book - a story about a girl trying to come to grips with her autistic brother (and her parents who do everything for him and nothing for her) and her friendship with a boy with cerebral palsy. It kept my interest. But it seemed artifical - I mean, she is driven crazy by the brother, but she chooses to befriend the boy who is even more challenged? And the voice is that of a girl MUCH younger than the main character is supposed to be. Further, nothing is all that resolved
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Jul 12, 2007
Monica
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After having read a number of Newbery Honor and Newbery Award-winning books that have fallen short of what I would consider “Newbery-worthy”, I was thrilled to come across Rules! I read the book cover-to-cover in under two hours, and was really moved by the main character, Catherine, and her relationship with her autistic brother, David, and her paraplegic friend, Jason.
This is a book that would have become one of my favorites, had it been around when I was a kid. Rules reminded me More...
This is a book that would have become one of my favorites, had it been around when I was a kid. Rules reminded me More...
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Dec 30, 2011
Amanda
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The title refers to the rules that Catherine creates for her autistic brother, David, ostensibly to help him navigate the world. Catherine struggles with her feelings about David's differentness, but she stops dividing people into normal vs. different when she makes friends with Jason, a boy in a wheelchair at one of David's therapy sessions. (When David doesn't know how to say something, he quotes from Lobel's Frog and Toad books.)
I think Lord's characterization is authentic, and I ap More...
I think Lord's characterization is authentic, and I ap More...
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Dec 17, 2009
Abby
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This book was completely not like I thought it would be. It's about Katherine, a twelve year old girl trying to make a new friend and deal with her younger brother David who has autism. One day while she's at the clinic where David has occupational therapy, Katherine meets Jason. Jason is another patient at the clinic. Jason has cerebral palsy and he communicates using a book with pictures. Katherine creates some new pictures for him and begins a friendship that becomes very important to them bo
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Nov 16, 2008
AnnaBnana
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I thought this book was really incredible. I read it in one sitting. I was glad that Lord didn't shy away Catherine's difficult and conflicted feeling about having an autistic brother. I thought the relationship she built between Catherine and Jason was natural and touching.
I think Catherine is also a really relate-able character on a more general level. I haven't experienced any of what went on in Catherine's family life, but her propensity for daydreaming and getting her hope More...
I think Catherine is also a really relate-able character on a more general level. I haven't experienced any of what went on in Catherine's family life, but her propensity for daydreaming and getting her hope More...
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Mar 04, 2010
Marynna
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Such delight! This touching, funny story -- a quick, compelling read for a sunny afternoon -- is both respectful and adorably irreverent. Catherine is the voice of a wise, practical observer whose perspective has been sharpened by life with her autistic brother and her disabled friend.
There is nothing here which is inappropriate for any reader of any age; and there is much here that is valuable for everyone, whether or not they know or are related to people who have autism or any oth More...
There is nothing here which is inappropriate for any reader of any age; and there is much here that is valuable for everyone, whether or not they know or are related to people who have autism or any oth More...
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Oct 13, 2010
Diana 807
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I think it a great book because catherine learns that she has to love her bother for the way he is. And she finds out that even regular brothers can be a pain. she also she meets Jason and finds out that she could still be Jasons friend even though he cant talk or walk.
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Jan 08, 2009
Wendy
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I thought this book had quite a few good imaginative narrative devices, and it was quite interesting to read about living with a child with autism, knowing that the author had first hand experience in this regard. I wanted main character Catherine to have a bit more heart, though - something about the character seemed a little flat, and there were certain situations that did not quite ring true to me.
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Feb 04, 2009
Karen
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I finally got my hands on RULES by Cynthia Lord, and I read it in one sitting. The narrator, Catherine, genuinely seems twelve. Her mannerisms and thoughts ring true, especially her artistic view on life and her lists of rules to help both herself and her autistic brother David. Catherine has more than shallow run-of-the-mill problems to deal with, and yet she's easy to identify with. In less capable hands, the story could have come across saccharine or depressing. Lord pulls it off in a way tha
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Feb 12, 2012
Emma
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When you read a bad book, the aftermath of the experience can leave you shell-shocked for quite a long period of time. Not too long ago I came across the regrettable "The Boy Who Ate Stars" by Kochka and I had a hard time recovering. Kochka, in my view, approached the subject of autism in children as a kind of wild kids-in-touch-with-their-animal side type of story. The whole project left me disappointed and wary of any books written with child audiences in mind that dealt with autism.
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Dec 12, 2011
Cat
rated it:
Title: Rules
Author: Cynthia Lord
Year: 2008
ISBN: 9780439443821
Type: Book
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Length/Pages: 224
Publisher/studio: Scholastic Inc.
Ages:9 and up
Annotation: Catherine a 12 years old young girl who wants to be known for herself - not David's sister
Plot
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants to be a normal kid with a normal family. Too bad that will never happen, one because she has a brother with autism, and two More...
Dec 09, 2011
Kelley
rated it:
Genre: Contemporary Realism
Catherine is a 12 year old girl, who helps care for her brother with autism. She is creating a list for him of rules about how the world works. She meets a boy named Jason who cannot speak and uses a wheelchair. Through her work with her brother and her new friend, Catherine must learn to accept people’s differences and redefine normal.
Character
Catherine is a very strong character who has a lot to handle at such a young age. She has been given More...
Catherine is a 12 year old girl, who helps care for her brother with autism. She is creating a list for him of rules about how the world works. She meets a boy named Jason who cannot speak and uses a wheelchair. Through her work with her brother and her new friend, Catherine must learn to accept people’s differences and redefine normal.
Character
Catherine is a very strong character who has a lot to handle at such a young age. She has been given More...
Dec 04, 2011
Wendy
rated it:
I was torn between giving the book three stars or four stars. I must be feeling generous tonight, because I decided to go with four.
Catherine has a younger brother diagnosed with Autism. She struggles with how embarrassing some of his behaviors can be when they are out in public, and how much his diagnoses affects her life. Like any twelve year old with a little brother, she is beyond frustrated with him and can be very inpatient. Yet, she also struggles with her desire to defend an More...
Catherine has a younger brother diagnosed with Autism. She struggles with how embarrassing some of his behaviors can be when they are out in public, and how much his diagnoses affects her life. Like any twelve year old with a little brother, she is beyond frustrated with him and can be very inpatient. Yet, she also struggles with her desire to defend an More...
Dec 04, 2011
Alma
rated it:
Lord, Cynthia. Rules. Scholastic Press. 2006. 200 pp. ISBN: 0439443822. Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: 3.98 Stars. Catherine is a 12-year-old girl who is trying to figure out her place while trying to help her brother, David, who has autism.
Summary: Catherine wants to find some sense of normalcy in her not-so-normal world. She helps her 8-year old brother, who has autism, understand the ‘unwritten’ rules of society by writing down the unknowns for him, such as, “It’s More...
Rating: 3.98 Stars. Catherine is a 12-year-old girl who is trying to figure out her place while trying to help her brother, David, who has autism.
Summary: Catherine wants to find some sense of normalcy in her not-so-normal world. She helps her 8-year old brother, who has autism, understand the ‘unwritten’ rules of society by writing down the unknowns for him, such as, “It’s More...
Oct 22, 2011
Heather
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 19, 2011
School Library Journal (April 1, 2006)
Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him ("It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store"). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi mo More...
Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him ("It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store"). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi mo More...
Aug 26, 2011
Melodee
rated it:
Yeah...so, I read this book quite a while ago, and cried through most of it. I think I related a little too well to way too many characters. It's written from the perspective of the sister to a boy with Autism. He's very high on the Autistic scale. Having a handicapped brother myself, I related to how she sometimes resented her brother because he's always first priority out of necessity, and she felt she had to compete for her parents' attention. Havign a son who's also has ASD, I could also
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Aug 15, 2011
Kate
rated it:
A book talk from grad school:
Twelve-year-old Catherine is full of rules for her autistic brother David to follow – rules about how to eat, how to interact politely in social situations, and how to keep your clothes on even when you have spilled something on them. She has been embarrassed by David too many times before, and now that a new girl, Kristi, is moving in next door, Catherine wants to make sure that David won’t ruin the perfect friendship she has been imagining. She is not s More...
Twelve-year-old Catherine is full of rules for her autistic brother David to follow – rules about how to eat, how to interact politely in social situations, and how to keep your clothes on even when you have spilled something on them. She has been embarrassed by David too many times before, and now that a new girl, Kristi, is moving in next door, Catherine wants to make sure that David won’t ruin the perfect friendship she has been imagining. She is not s More...
Aug 14, 2011
Mia
rated it:
I liked this book it wasn't my favorite though... Catherine has an autistic brother named David. David is eight and his interests include reading movie ratings at the video store, rewinding his Thomas the Tank Engine movie and listening to Frog and Toad. Catherine is twelve and her biggest wish is that David will someday wake up without autism, she loves David but she is constantly trying to get him to do things the right way- the normal way. Because of his disability David has to go to Occu
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Aug 13, 2011
"No toys in the fish tank" is one of a litany of rules that Catherine has written for her autistic brother, David. Even with all the rules, though, David still has difficulty with daily social interactions. Catherine feels, as she reiterates many times, torn between two worlds: the world where she wants to be a normal pre-teen with her friends, and the world where she has to watch out for David. To make matters worse, she feels as though her parents don't really understand or apprec
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Jul 28, 2011
Kristen
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This was a book that once I finished it, I thought, someone needs to put a new cover on this! The cover doesn’t even begin to tell the reader how deep the book is and how Lords asks the reader to reach inside his/her self and ask, “What would I do in that situation.” Instead, the cover screams, “I am a CHIC BOOK! Hehehaa…”
Catherine is twelve and going through all things that middle schoolers go through – trying to find some friends, avoiding family like the plague, and (maybe) looking at More...
Catherine is twelve and going through all things that middle schoolers go through – trying to find some friends, avoiding family like the plague, and (maybe) looking at More...
Jul 11, 2011
Morgan
rated it:
Rules by Cynthia Lord is a multidimensional story about an girl named Catherine and her emotional struggles with having a brother who has Autism. In trying to help her brother David who cannot understand social situations very well, Catherine creates a list of rules for her brother to follow such as, "It's fine to hug Mom, but not the clerk at the video store," or "A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts." Catherine is sometimes deeply embarrassed by her br
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