Rating: 1.1.1
Recommended audience: 8 and up
Category: Juvenile, YA fiction
Review: 4.5/5
This is a wonderful book about 12 year-old Catherine who struggles to live a "normal" life with an autistic brother, 8 year-old David. Catherine is a protective big sister who loves her brother but also feels frustrated that their family seems to revolve around David and his needs. I really enjoyed this book but it did hit a little close to home. My two-year-old son does not have autism but is developmentally delayed and sees a speech therapist and occupational therapist like those talked about in the book. The sign language and the picture cards that are mentioned in the book are very familiar to me. I found myself getting a little depressed when the struggles of this family became very difficult, and I envisioned us in a similar position someday. I don't think we actually will have the same struggles but I did identify with them to some degree, so Rules was a little hard to read at times. Even so, I highly recommend this Newbery Honor book. My 8 year-old daughter read it before I got a chance to read it, and she really liked it too.
