Rules was the first novel published by Cynthia Lord. Rules is a book for middle-grade readers that has remained popular and in print from the time of its initial publication. The Scholastic paperback version summarized here first appeared in 2018. For a debut novel, Rules was immediately accepted by young readers and by the literary community. The book won a prestigious Newberry Honor Book award and received the Schneider Family Book Award. It was named an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, received a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year, an NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts, and was named a Michigan Library Association Mitten Award Winner.

Lord based the characters and much of the family dynamics on her own experiences in that she has a child who is on the autism spectrum. For Lord, telling the story of a tween girl who is trying to cope successfully with a family that relies upon her, while at the same time taking her for granted, created the opportunity to combine her own experiences of raising a child with autism and the impact the condition had on her entire family. While the narrative contains no foul language, it is realistic in depicting autism, other challenges, and the impacts of such conditions on families.

Plot Summary

Catherine, the 12-year-old narrator of the book, is out of school for the summer and excited about the prospect of a new girl her age moving into the house next door. Meanwhile, she struggles with her eight-year-old brother David, who has autism and relies upon her constantly. Catherine frequently rides with her mother to take David for treatment at an occupational therapy clinic. In the waiting room, Catherine develops a relationship with 14-year-old Jason, another patient who uses a wheelchair and is non-speaking. The two communicate with the help of his word book, a binder full of hand-written words on small white cards. Catherine soon uses her discretion to create new, more expressive words for the communication book.

David is a constant source of embarrassment for Catherine as well as the target of taunting by her schoolmate, Ryan who lives at the end of the street. Catherine frequently expresses a desire that David be cured of autism, something she knows will never transpire. She has created a list of rules to help David understand how he should behave. Though he knows the rules well, he does not necessarily obey them. Her father, a pharmacist, is emotionally withdrawn from the family, always finding reasons to work late. Catherine’s mother is a work-from-home tax preparer who frequently asks Catherine to babysit her brother. Her mother frets that Catherine—who is incredibly self-sufficient—does not have enough summer activities to keep herself busy.

The new girl next door, Kristi, is gradually introduced. About a third of the way through the book, she finally comes over to meet Catherine. It quickly becomes apparent that Kristi has interests that are very distinct from Catherine. Kristi wants to talk about boys and dating. Catherine, an artist, yearns to enjoy the outdoors and to draw. They work to build a relationship, Kristi wanting to learn about her new town and Catherine wanting a new friend with whom to enjoy her favorite summer activities.

Thanks to the many new descriptive words Catherine has made for him and the closeness they are building, Jason becomes invigorated. He enjoys coming to the clinic to interact with Catherine. The two have several brief excursions. Catherine pushes him in his wheelchair around the clinic parking lot as fast as she can run. Later, Jason shows up at the clinic with a motorized wheelchair and he and Catherine visit the nearby oceanside wharf. Catherine sees Kristi at the beach but avoids calling attention to herself, not wanting her new friend to see her with Jason. Before returning to the clinic, Jason tells Catherine she is pretty and asks her to attend his birthday part that Saturday. Catherine is excited to say “yes,” not only to spend time with Jason but to avoid the community center dance that Kristi wants her to attend the same night as the birthday party.

Friction develops between Kristi and Catherine when the girls lie on Catherine’s bedroom floor to make posters for the dance. Though Kristi presses the issue, Catherine continues to say she cannot go to the dance. David comes into the room and, putting on some music, Kristi begins to dance with him. David’s motions are wild and flailing and he steps on the art supplies the girls are using to make posters. Catherine turns off the music. Kristi is angry with her for interrupting the dance. Catherine believes that Kristi was mocking David and is also angry. They finish the posters in silence.

Catherine purchases an acoustic guitar and presents it to Jason at his birthday party when the two go into his bedroom. She is surprised to hear Jason play a haunting melody he wrote himself on his electric piano. Later, while gathering in the kitchen for birthday cake, Jason asks her if she will go with him that evening to the dance. When she refuses, he accuses her of being embarrassed by him. She tries to explain that not dancing is her unbreakable rule. Saying it is only an excuse, Jason drives his chair away in anger. Crying, Catherine rushes from his house.

At home and babysitting David that evening, Catherine recognizes she has created friction between herself, Kristi, and Jason. When David breaks his favorite cassette, Catherine yells at him angrily for not understanding that she cannot fix it. Repentant after David falls to the ground sobbing, Catherine calls Jason’s mother to say she is going to the dance after all and wants Jason to attend. Then she calls her father at the pharmacy and demands that he come home immediately.

The trip to the dance gives Catherine the opportunity to confront her father about his neglectful attitude toward her. Her father commits to being more present in her life and they embrace. Catherine goes into the gym, waiting impatiently for Jason, who eventually arrives. Catherine apologizes, giving David new words for his communication book. Kristi arrives with Ryan and Catherine introduces Jason to them as her dear friend. Jason prevents Catherine from making any more apologies, instead leading her to the dance floor, where she surprises herself by going with him into the crowd of young people and dancing.

Lying in her bed that night and reflecting on the dance, Catherine is interrupted by David. He has dropped another toy into the fishbowl, something he regularly does, which always insures Catherine’s attention. They stand side-by-side looking at their reflections in the fish tank.