Tuesday, August 5, 2014

#Review: "Rules" by Cynthia Lord

Summary:

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"---in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors.
But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?


My review:

I think all of us have dealt with what we consider embarrassing situations at some point or another. This is the essence for the main character, Catherine. She often felt lonely in her own family and just wants to have what is considered by many, "normal life".

Her new found friend Jason has his own disabilities and embarrassments but learns to adapt to them better with his friendship with Catherine. This too becomes a embarrassing situation for Catherine.

How she deals with all of that is for you to discover when you read this book.

My overall take on the book is that we as human beings need to come to understand that we are all different and have different abilities, NOT disabilities. We all feel love and hurt in a variety of different ways. Those of us considered "normal" need to look inward and come to understand ourselves but also realize that we have much to learn from those that may be different from us.

I loved this book and I think ever child should read it! In fact, I think it should be part of a reading curriculum in schools and home schools. There is a reason this book won the Newberry Honor And Schneider Family Book Awards...discover for yourself.

This book earned 5 stars from me without a doubt.
~Naila Moon

Disclosure: This book was given to me as a gift. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Where to find the author:

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