Rules by Cynthia Lord

Lord, C. (2008). Rules. NY: Scholastic.

In order to keep her little brother out of trouble, Catherine has formed a list of essential rules for him to follow. Catherine's brother is autistic and most of her days are spent making sure he stays out of trouble. When a new neighbor moves in, Catherine wants her friendship. Catherine is prepared to behave in ways that she never imagined.

The evaluative criteria of both character and setting are excellently showcased in Rules. The main character, Catherine, is very resentful of the life she lives because of her autistic little brother. We see her develop relationships with the characters around her and begin to grow as a person. In the end, she has developed into quite a different character from when she started. Cynthia Lord does a great job of describing the setting of the story. We know that the story takes place by the ocean as she accurately describes the sights, sounds and smells of a port city. She describes a sleepy little town waiting for tourist season to start to add some excitement to their lives. She describes the scenery of the lake and the town by the ocean very accurately. It makes you feel like you have been there or at least tempts you to visit.