Catherine is your average 12 year old girl. She loves art and wants nothing more than to make a new friend this summer, a friend who hasn't heard anything about her family. When a new family moves in next door Catherine might just get her wish. Kristi is the same age as Catherine and they will be at the same school next year. But will Kristi still be Catherine's friend once she meets David, Catherine's brother? David has autism and requires special rules such as "No toys in the fish tank." Things become even more complicated for Catherine when she befriends a wheelchair bound boy named Jason who communicates by using word cards. In the end Catherine must accept things she cannot change, even if her new friend Kristi can't.
While few young readers will have challenged relatives to deal with, being embarrassed by one's family and simply trying to fit in are themes that every child reader can relate to. Who hasn't had trouble making friends? What teenager hasn't wanted to hide their family from others at one point or another?
Rules is an excellent way to introduce young readers with how we view and deal with others different than us. Lord introduces the reader to a family struggling with a child with autism and to another teen who must communicate through word cards rather than speaking. Younger teenagers are notorious for making fun of what they don't understand. Rules shows readers a culture they may not be familiar with and gives them a better understanding of how it affects the entire family.
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