RULES -Where you stand determines what you see.

I have the above saying on my library wall next to the word perspective. I usually think of people from other countries or cultures when I explore this concept. But this novel, Rules offers another viewpoint. It allows a peek in the window of someone living with an autistic sibling. The author, Cynthia Lord does a wonderful job allowing us into the frustration, complication, and ever-present situation of living with someone with special needs. The main character, twelve year old Catherine, is telling the story and through the voices of her parents and a boy in a wheelchair using cards to talk, she presents an amazing pull of emotions through the people in her life. Catherine grapples with appearances and worries about what others think, so she writes rules for her younger brother, David. She is quite clever and the rules add humor to a sometimes tense situation. Many of the rules are very useful not only to David but to Catherine. One of my favorites is: If you don't have the words you need, borrow someone else's. David likes to use words from Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad stories to communicate. There is so much to appreciate about Cynthia Lord's book, I wholeheartedly recommend reading it.