 |
||||||
| Home >> Book Reviews >> Rules (Newbery Honor Book) | ||||||
 |
Rules (Newbery Honor Book) Review
User Submitted Rules (Newbery Honor Book) ReviewsNovember 19, 2008 Rules warmed my heart and simply made me tear up at even the most common things I was shocked to see that anyone didn't like this book, to each his/her own. I think this book does a remarkable job at putting those akward feelings about a "different" person in your life into words. Catherine's brother is autistic and she loves him, feels bad when people stare at him, feels guilty when she yells at him and wishes that he could just argue back like a "normal" brother. There are a lot of kids out there who feel this way about a disabled family member and I think this helps sort out those feelings. In this book Catherine helps David to fit in or be comfortable by giving him rules. Rules help David. Jason believes that Catherine's rules are her scapegoat for acceptance. I also think this book is terrific for the parents, it exposes the guilt, concern and pressure that a parent of a child with special needs might be feeling. I cried about Catherine's honesty, I was simply touched. Even Catherine's friendship to Jason is so very real to me. As for classrooms, I think that this is a great book for discussion. Differences - WE GOTTA HAVE 'EM. I read this book for a book club for 9-11 year old girls and their mothers. November 19, 2008 Terrible My opinion of this book was not very good. It was extremely slow getting to the climax of the book. It took 200 pages just to get to the dance. They started talking about the dance in the middle of the book, like on page 75-100. I did not think that there was a real point to the book other than to tell you that it is hard to have a sibling with a disability. The book was also pretty boring. I can normally read a book speedily, but this book took longer because it didn't really engage me in the story. Also nothing really happened other then the main events. The whole book was basically Catherine goes to OT, next day she plays with Kristi, next day she makes words for Jason, goes and swims at pond with Kristi, makes posters for dance, then goes to Jason's party then to the dance. Even the main events were briefly described. I would probably not recommend buying or reading this book. November 2, 2008 insteresting This book wasn't terrible but far away from good. It was reptive and quite frankly boring. I've heard lot's of people loved it but I just couldn't get into it. This book did make you think a little bit,but I think this book either strikes you the wronge way or the right way. I do not reccomend this book. October 31, 2008 Excellent! "No toys in the fish tank." "Chew with your mouth closed." "Not everything worth keeping has to be useful." "Sometimes people laugh when they like you. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you." These are just some of the rules Catherine has created for the day her brother is miraculously cured from autism. Catherine lives her life taking care of her younger brother and trying to keep him from embarrassing her. When she becomes friends with Jason, a boy that can't talk and must use a wheelchair, she gains a new perspective on life and on her brother. I LOVED this book! I felt for Catherine, for David, and for Jason. I could see all perspectives. That is why the book is so amazing. Catherine has normal feelings, even if she knows they are wrong on some level. The book shows that even if someone is different, they still have normal, everyday feelings, just like the rest of us. They shouldn't be treated differently. I like the realization that Catherine makes at the end of the book about David and about Jason. And about herself and who she wants to be. You must read this book!!! September 19, 2008 A Book Review for Rules by A. Hoffman I really enjoyed the book Rules. I think it is an honest look at how siblings feel about one another especially if one sibling has a disability. I think this book is a great read for young children because it delivers a great message that having an autistic brother can be hard, yet the reader leaves with a sense of the love Catherine feels for her brother. I recommend this book to my 5th grade students. So far they all have enjoyed reading the book. Some background knowledge may be needed as the book doesn't fully explain autism and there may be some misconceptions about why David acts the way he does. September 1, 2008 Rules My daughter and I thouroughly enjoyed this book. It gave insight to a growing disability and ways to treat those who suffer. Great book. Karen August 23, 2008 Hmmmm Hmmm...., what can I write about this book. Great character's, intelligent details, honest theme, STEREOTYPICAL!!!!! This book is an attempt at revealing the beauty of disabled children, yet it comes off as a book about a girl who is embarrassed about her autistic brother. That's understandable, but when you write a story on such a delicate and easily misinterpreted theme, you have to be careful. This story greatly reminds me of "Julep O'Toole, Middle Child". It seems that the only way authors can get across some beautiful theme, is by making their stereotype characters realize how they act and feel is wrong. I couldn't relate to the character, or picture what was going on. I felt like I was reading a letter from some distant relative I had never heard of. This story was written in a hurry, stereotypically, and the author should have added some more descriptions. A must NOT read. August 11, 2008 Rules .... is a very, very compelling book for tweens This book screams out exactly what the title says.... Catherine has a learning disabled brother who cannot function in social situations. She give him "rules" that guide him to more or less do the "socially correct" thing. My daughter was enthralled. Perfect gift for any tween. The characters are believable and likeable. It helps that my daughter's best friend has a brother with Asperger's Syndrome. She found the story very compelling and even chose to do a 5th grade book report on it. To me, the story discusses very adult feelings... but she disagrees. It's very age appropriate and well written for 10-12 year olds. August 7, 2008 Rules We all do it, out of human nature. We see people we feel to be less fortunate than us and we can't help but look their way. A glance filled with pity and guilt. Whether it be physical limitations from something like cerebral-palsy or "odd" behavior stemmed from something like autism. However, inside these individuals lies someone as interesting, as creative, and as normal as you and me. Often times our looks and glances are not meant to hurt or offend but that doesn't me they aren't received that way. Not just by the individual, but by those closest to them. A parent. A sibling. A friend. In Rules, Cynthia Lord puts us in the place of twelve-year-old Catherine. Catherine wants a normal life, complete with a next door friend who she can take to the beach and send flashlight messages back and forth with late at night. Lucky for her, Kristi is moving in next door this summer and may prove to be just that friend. One problem. Catherine's autistic brother David keeps getting in the way. So does Catherine's relationship with Jason, a handicapped boy she warms up to during David's occupational therapy sessions. Will Kristi still want to be Catherine's friend despite these things? Is it worth hurting either relationship in order to impress Kristi? And will Catherine's life ever be "normal"? First and foremost, I have to commend Cynthia Lord. I have never read a novel that tells a story about autism from the point of view of a girl whose brother suffers from it. It's genius, and packed with raw, yet sometimes comical emotion. She's made Catherine so genuine, with such an authentic voice. Catherine is very responsible when it comes to David and very thoughtful when it comes to Jason, yet at the same time, can't help but ponder the advantages of a life without them. This isn't written in a rude or selfish way, it's totally natural. Because of Lord's writing, it's easy for the reader to sympathize with Catherine and her situation. And it's not just Catherine, all of Lord's characters shine and come to life in an unflinching, honest way. Jason, who can only communicate by pointing to word cards with pictures on them, is quietly bold. Kristi, who Catherine tries desperately to impress, like many kids, may indeed be less superficial and more thoughtful than one would first expect. And then there's David, Catherine's younger autistic brother, who she tries to control and teach through the use of rules she's made up, life lessons. "No toys in the fish tank!" Through David's interactions with Catherine (his need to quote Frog and Toad books when the going gets real tough), Lord shows us that despite his autism, David is just like any other little brother who loves to pester his sister. Interestingly enough, the only characters that did not sit well with me were the adults, and it's not Lord's fault. I see it all too often in school, kids not being allowed to live life as a kid. Kristi has to have dinner ready for her mom when she gets home from work. The responsibilities Catherine's parents place on her and the things they expect her to understand and live with, it's not fair to her. Even Jason's mother begins to just "expect" certain behaviors from Catherine. It's no wonder she feels used. Catherine's dad is usually at work and her mom is often times too busy to watch David, in one scene, even for just a few minutes while Catherine entertains a friend. I'm sure that somewhere along the line, her parents have had their fair share of difficult times (especially with David) but that doesn't give them the right to use their daughter, shift all responsibility onto her plate (a twelve-year-old girl remember), and put all her wants and desires on the back-burner. It's frustrating and it's all too real in today's society. In the end, what makes Rules such a class act, is how Cynthia Lord never takes the story where you'd expect a children's author to take it. David does not act "over the top" in regards to his autism. Catherine isn't an unsocial hermit, hard up for friends. She's actually very likable in the book. There's even more to Jason and Kristi, then first expected, much more. Nothing is softened up, nothing is given the Disney treatment, and why should it be? These are issues all too prevalent in the lives of younger readers today. It's nice for a change to see an author show them a different side to an extremely important, yet different story. I think Rules has many things going for it and is a story not only all children should read, but adults as well. There's plenty they could take away from Catherine's "rules". After all, those awkward looks and glances Catherine and Jason received while "running" in the doctor's parking lot, they weren't coming from children. Cynthia Lord has written a story that should change the way you look at people. It did for me. July 24, 2008 What a terrific book! This book opened my eyes as to how it must be for a sibling of a child with a disability. I work with children with disabilities and thought this would be a great book to expose my own child to. For more Rules (Newbery Honor Book) reviews click here.
|
|||||
 |
|
|
||||
| Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising | Contact Us | ||||||
| ©2005 Book Savers, All rights reserved. | ||||||
and Preschoolers