Rules

Lord, C. (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic Press.

12-year old Catherine just wants a normal life, but finds it difficult when her family's lives revolve around her 8- year old autistic brother. She constantly finds herself avoiding embarrassing moments with her brother. She just wants to be normal and "cool", when she meets the fashionable next door neighbor, Kristi. Caught up with what Cristi and others might think of her friend,Jason, who is a paraplegic boy she met while attending therapy sessions with her brother. Catherine develops a friendship with both, yet will never allow them to meet each other, due to rejection. Kristi wants to double date and asks Catherine to bring Jason, however,is saved by Jason's party which happens to be on the same day as the dance. That same day he asks if she'd like to go and senses she doesn't want to with him. Later, she ends up asking him if he'd like to go, and just as she suspected Kristi is not accepting Jason for who he is. In the end, Catherine realizes what friendship really is and that there is no such thing as normal. This is a great book for the latter elementary grades to middle grades with powerful lessons of acceptance and friendship.