Rules by Cynthia Lord is a Newberry Honor book. Catherine, a 12 year old girl, who has a younger brother named David who is autistic. Not only does she have to deal with a younger brother, who are usually embarrassing, but his disability seems to make things worst for her. she feels like she always comes in second with her parents because David requires so much attention. She create a set of "rules" that she wants David to follow to make this easier for her. What is unique about this book that each chapter is titled by a rule that Catherine sets for David. Catherine hopes to make friends with a new girl next door, but is worried that David will ruin that. With the help of another friend, Jason, who is a paraplegic and doesn't talk, Catherine begins to realize that there is much more to her brother than she thought. It's a heartwarming book, told from the side of Catherine. The love she has for her brother is sincere, but troubling at times. A good read, especially for anyone who has a family member with a disability. Patience plays a big role in this type of situation.
Lord, Cynthia (2006). Rules. New York: Scholastic.
It's a Book is currently on the New York Times best seller book list. I am lucky enough to have a signed copy of the book that I got at ALA this past summer in Washington, D.C. Lane Smith uses the characters of a monkey, donkey and mouse to capture a cute scenario of a techno savvy donkey asking a book loving monkey what is he holding - which the donkey is holding a book. The donkey asks a series of questions, like ""Can it text?", Tweet?, Wi-Fi?". In the end the answer is, "It's a book, jackass." I read this book as a focus to my 5th grade reading class. Instead of saying "jackass", I used the word "donkey". My students liked the book because they related to how technology is taking over reading. The majority of my students, when polled, said they turn on a DSi or computer before opening their book to read. Below is a scanned pucture of my signed book.
