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 moves in next door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. Her love for her brother is as real as are her frustrations with him.
I think I went generally overboard on trying to find more books to read because I have over 20 books lying by my bedside waiting to be read. Rules was one of the first books I checked out among this big stack and finally got around to it during the break. I have to say that I was really impressed with this book in general with how it related to well to that of a frustrated twelve year old. I loved the relationship between Catherine and her autistic brother and how she took control of him. It is hard to deal with a differently abled sibling and the author really puts that all into perspective. While it may be hard to to deal with her brother David on a regular basis, she still feels the need to take care of him and love him. I also love how the author creates the relationship between Jason, another disabled kid, and Catherine. She is still a normal 12 year old but everything around her is different and complicated. This book is well written and deserves the Schneider Family Book Award that it received.
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