Have you ever seen that kid that just can't seem to follow the rules? Always being that one person in the crowd who seems to stand out and is a little bit different then everybody else? Maybe he is not a bad kid, but just can't seem to understand the rules. In Rules by Cynthia Lord, we see that kid once again.
Catherine is a normal 12 year old girl who has all but a normal life. She has a younger brother, David, with autism. Her brother stops her from having friends. He embarrasses her and people judge her by the way her brother acts. This all changes when she gets a new neighbor. Her new neighbors name is Kristi. Catherine tries to hide her brothers disability but it doesn't stay a secret for long. Soon we figure out that Kristi is becoming great friends with Ryan, the boy that bullies David and makes Catherine have trouble liking her brother for who he is. Catherine gets to a point in the story where she has to make some tough choices and wonders what to do.
This was not the best choice for my disability novel, but I did enjoy reading the book. The novel did not provide enough of the facts that I needed, however it did give me a good understanding of the disability. There were many places in the book in which the author showed the disability realistically, but this was the most interesting situation, "No toys in the fishtank." This happens after David puts a toy in the fishtank and then goes and repeats the rule to Catherine and embarrasses her in front of Kristi. The disability is accurately portrayed and becomes helpful to understand the disability. I believe the author wrote the book to teach young kids a broad lesson "don't judge a book by it's cover". This means that you should never judge a person until you truly know all about them.
I recommend this book to both boys and girls eight and up who are looking for an interesting read to gain facts and understanding of autism along the way.
by Cynthia Lord
Have you ever seen that kid that just can't seem to follow the rules? Always being that one person in the crowd who seems to stand out and is a little bit different then everybody else? Maybe he is not a bad kid, but just can't seem to understand the rules. In Rules by Cynthia Lord, we see that kid once again.
Catherine is a normal 12 year old girl who has all but a normal life. She has a younger brother, David, with autism. Her brother stops her from having friends. He embarrasses her and people judge her by the way her brother acts. This all changes when she gets a new neighbor. Her new neighbors name is Kristi. Catherine tries to hide her brothers disability but it doesn't stay a secret for long. Soon we figure out that Kristi is becoming great friends with Ryan, the boy that bullies David and makes Catherine have trouble liking her brother for who he is. Catherine gets to a point in the story where she has to make some tough choices and wonders what to do.
This was not the best choice for my disability novel, but I did enjoy reading the book. The novel did not provide enough of the facts that I needed, however it did give me a good understanding of the disability. There were many places in the book in which the author showed the disability realistically, but this was the most interesting situation, "No toys in the fishtank." This happens after David puts a toy in the fishtank and then goes and repeats the rule to Catherine and embarrasses her in front of Kristi. The disability is accurately portrayed and becomes helpful to understand the disability. I believe the author wrote the book to teach young kids a broad lesson "don't judge a book by it's cover". This means that you should never judge a person until you truly know all about them.
I recommend this book to both boys and girls eight and up who are looking for an interesting read to gain facts and understanding of autism along the way.
.