Rules by Cynthia Lord
I first heard about Rules by Cynthia Lord while thumbing through the 2007 version of Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, edited by the wonderful Alice Pope. In a section about first books by new novelists I read a bit about Rules and was hooked. I didn’t buy the novel at the time, but I recently saw it on the shelves and swept it up. The book is told from the point of view of Catherine, whose family life is dominated by her younger brother’s autism. Since David will never be normal, Catherine writes him a set of rules for survival: no toys in the fish tank, wear pants in public. When a new girl moves in next door, Catherine has the chance to make a new friend. She must learn to balance her new friendship with life with David and her friend Jason, who communicates by pointing at index cards with words on them. What I love about the book is that even though it’s about a life problem, Catherine is still Catherine, stronger and lovelier, somehow, for the challenges she faces.
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I have to read this book for school, I’m excited to read it because it sounds really good. I just want to know if there is a website I can have to read the book online. If there is a link to it please send me the link if you can. Thanks a bunch!
Hi Kylee, I’m not sure where you can find the book online, but it’s a great one to add to your collection. If you’re looking for books at a good price, check out Half.com. You can find used copies for very reasonable prices. Hope that helps! Tanya