Rules

Lord, C. ( 2006). Rules. New York, NY: Scholastics.

Katherine is a twelve year old girl with an autistic brother, David.  Katherine and David have a special relationship.  She teaches him rules about life, babysits him, and is his friend.  In the waiting room of David's OT office, Katherine meets a special boy named Jason who is in a wheel chair and doesn't talk.  She makes cards and drawings for him for his communication book and they become friends.   She also meets the new girl that moves in next door.  She hopes they will be friends, but soon learns that she can't be herself around this new girl and feels embarrassed by her new friendship with Jason.   Along with this,  Katherine is fed-up with being second fiddle to David in her family.  At the end, Katherine learns what real friendship is about. 

This book takes a look at disabilities and the way people treat those different from them.  Katherine learns that everyone wants acceptance, no matter what disability one might have.  She learns that friendship means being yourself.  This book won the Schneider Family Book Award as well as a Newberry Honor book winner.