Rules

OK, so this book is written from the perspective of a girl Catherine and her challenges of having a little brother who is autistic. I got frustrated a lot by her and how she always thought she was the one going through the most. She never thought about her brother as someone else, not just his autism. I found David very cute and he didn't seem annoying to me. I kinda understand where Catherine is coming from but opening doors at other people's houses isn't that big of a deal. I liked that she got more understanding and caring at the end. Her friendship with Jason a guy who can't speak and is in a wheelchair was very sweet though. From the moment we saw that Jason didn't have enough words I knew she is going to make them for him. I loved that she was an artist (I am too). Overall, the book was a sweet book on celebrating all people's differences and that there is no NORMAL! People should stop staring and expecting everyone to look like them. Also, I found OT to be kinda weird and maybe bad?! Oh, Ryan was very dull and mean I didn't like him. To be honest, Kristi was very annoying too, Catherine shouldn't be friends with someone like her. She kept feeling sad about her parent's separation but didn't seem to care about others much, and liked Ryan, wut??? Anyways I do recommend this for anyone and maybe especially those who have family, friends, or any loved ones with special needs. DIFFERENCES ARE AWESOME!!!

I thought this was a great book, especially for kids 11-14. It helps broaden their vision on disabilities and their effects. So many people with autism or other disabilities (such as speech impediments, as addressed in this book) are stereotyped negatively. But really, they are not so different from us. Rules helps to give these types of characters a voice, showing how Catherine deals with the challenge of having an autistic brother and also how she handles her new friend Jason, who was born with a speech impediment and uses a wheelchair. Rules won the Newbery Honor Medal and with good reason. It is a book that helps bring its readers closer to the universe of disabilities, something that hadn't gotten a lot of attention before. It is important for children to read this book with an open mind and gain understanding into the importance of treating others with respect and love. Rules will help this and I think it should be required reading in, say, seventh grade.