Rulesby Cynthia Lord

Reviewed by Laura Craner

When someone in your family is different--different from you, different from your friends, just different--even the the most mundane things get tricky. In order to ward off the disasters that come with having a "different" (read: autistic) brother and live a normal life twelve-year-old Catherine decides to teach him the rules. Things like, "If the bathroom door is closed, knock" and "a boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts" and "No toys in the fish tank" become the frame around which she builds a tenuous relationship with her brother and the world around them. But when Catherine is faced with the loss of her best friend and the frustrations of making new friends, she finds out that life isn't as simple as her rules make it out to be.

Rules, which is a Newberry Honor book and winner of the Schneider family book award, is a funny and poignant book that is perfect for middle-grade readers and their parents to enjoy.

For more on Cynthia Lord and Rules check out her website: www.cynthialord.com