Rules by Cynthia Lord is an easy 200 page read that I finished within 2-3 hours. The front cover boasts a Newberry Honor as well as a Schneider Family Book Award. In some other lifetime, I would probably recall what those meant. However, I saw those as indicators that this book wouldn't be too terrible. And it wasn't terrible at all.
For starters, Rules is about Catherine, a 12 year old girl's life with her autistic younger brother. It is a great look into how the friends and family members of special needs individuals deal with their own lives. She loves her brother, but throughout the book there is a constant desire for her to feel like every other person with "normal" siblings.
On every Tuesday and Thursday, she goes with her mom and brother to his Occupational Therapy appointments because she likes to have time with her mother without her brother's interruption. While there, she meets Jason and they become friends. She tries to find out who she is, how she fits in with her family and the world.
This book would be absolutely wonderful for people who feel like they are overshadowed by a sibling for any reason. Although hers was more of a burden, I think kids with over-achieving siblings could also relate. Younger children who are just getting into chapter books would enjoy this book as well. However, there is not much depth to the characters to teens over the age of 13-14 might get bored quickly.
All in all, Rules is a great book for beginning readers. As a parent of a child with autism, she conveys Catherine's frustration with the brother in a way that still makes the character likable to the reader. It would be a recommended read for 2nd- 5th graders!
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