Rules, Cynthia Lord

Rules, Cynthia Lord

Lord, Cynthia. Rules. New York: Scholastic Paperbacks, 2008. Print.

Catherine is twelve years old and would like to think that she has everything figured out, except the fact that her little brother, David, has autism. Catherine really wants to be like "everyone else," but what does that even mean, anyways? Catherine helps her little brother navigate through life by keeping a list a "rules" to guide his behavior so that every transition is a crisis. For example, "late doesn't mean not coming" helps David know that not everything happens exactly on time, but that does not mean that it will not happen. Catherine does a lot of growing up this summer as she makes friends with Jason and Kristi, who show Catherine that "normal" is not necessarily the same for everyone.

Electronic Resources for Rules:

Cynthia Lord's Story Behind the Book 
This page is a little extra that Cynthia Lord posted about this book in regards to the context of her personal life and how it connects with Rules. Students may be interested to know that the character, David, was "loosely" based on her son.


Autism: What it means for brothers & sisters
This is a New York Times article written in 2007 that interviewed fourteen year old Tarah who grows up with twin autistic older brothers. Her insight may prove useful in extending the understanding of Rules.


Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary:

*autism
*crude
*corridor
*therapist
*accomodate
*receptionist
*quarreling
*murky
*hesitate
*acoustic
*pry

During Reading:
As students read through the chapters, ask students to write a letter to Catherine that discusses what Catherine could have done better when interacting with David, her parents, Kristi, or Jason. It is important for students to include why their suggestions would have made a more positive situation.


Responding to the Text:
After students have finished reading Rules, ask them to create a "rule" that Catherine might write down after all of the happenings of that summer. Students should explain the significance of their rule and how it would apply to the text, Rules.