Rules (14 page)

Catherine creates rules for her younger brother David to help him understand how other people behave and how the world works. Have you ever wanted to make up a list of rules for a member of your own family? Well, now you can! Take a look at the examples below that you may want to use, and feel free to add your own!

• Don’t follow me everywhere I go (unless we’re playing Follow the Leader).
  

• Knock first!
  

• If you want to play with one of my toys, please put it back when you’re done.
  

• Take my side when someone is teasing me.
  

• Never say mean things like, “The dog likes me better!”
  

• Don’t borrow my clothes without asking, and be extra careful not to spill anything on them!
  

• No spying or snooping on me when I’m with my friends.
  

• Sometimes I get to choose what we’ll do, and sometimes you get to decide.
  

• Say yes (sometimes, at least!) when I ask you to play with me.
  

• Don’t hog the computer or the phone or the TV.
  

• When I’m upset, ask me, “Why?” Then listen.
  

Catherine never goes anywhere without her sketchbook. Learn how to draw a guinea pig by following the steps below!

Morse code, named after Samuel F. B. Morse, is a way of sending messages with symbols and sounds. Dots (which make the sound “dit”) and dashes (which make the sound “dah”) make up the Morse code alphabet. In
Rules
, Catherine hopes for a next-door friend who would find it fun to send flashlight messages in Morse code between their windows at night. Using the Morse code alphabet pictured below as a guide, have fun decoding these words and phrases.

1. Catherine 2. David 3. Jason 4. Kristi 5. Nutmeg and Cinnamon 6. Frog and Toad 7. No toys in the fish tank! 8. Stinks a big one! 9. Did you enjoy this book? 10. Thank you for reading!

If you liked
Rules
, here are some other books you might enjoy!

Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko

Set on Alcatraz Island in 1935, this poignant novel is told from the viewpoint of Moose, a boy both frustrated by and fiercely committed to his sister with autism.

A Corner of the Universe
by Ann M. Martin

Twelve-year-old Hattie develops a sensitive friendship with her Uncle Adam, a man challenged by schizophrenia and autism, during the summer he comes to live at her family’s boarding house.

Me and Rupert Goody
by Barbara O’Connor

Eleven-year-old Jennalee’s world is turned upside down when a man with developmental delays arrives in her town in the Smoky Mountains, claiming to be the son of the grocer Jennalee looks up to as her best friend.

My Thirteenth Winter: A Memoir
by Samantha Abeel

Samantha describes in painstaking detail her life before and after being diagnosed with dyscalculia, a math-related learning disability.

The Summer of the Swans
by Betsy Byars

Fourteen-year-old Sara Godfrey and her developmentally delayed brother Charlie love to watch the swans on a local lake, until Charlie disappears one day and Sarah must reach past herself to find him.

Tru Confessions
by Janet Tashjian

Told through diary entries, twelve-year-old Tru creates a film documentary highlighting the life of her developmentally delayed twin brother.

Views from Our Shoes: Growing Up with a Brother or Sister with Special Needs
edited by Donald J. Meyer

This is a collection of honest, small essays written by siblings of children with a broad range of special needs.

“Lord interlaces themes of loss, luck, superstition, family, and belonging … in this stirring novel.” —
Publishers Weekly

“This is a feel-good story about letting go of your expectations and accepting the good things already in front of you.” —
Booklist

On a tiny island off the coast of Maine, twelve-year-old Tess anxiously awaits the arrival of her new foster brother, Aaron. He’ll be a good match, according to the caseworker. She’ll welcome him and act like he’s just another islander, according to her parents. But the moment Aaron steps from the ferry, Tess’s excitement turns to worry: How can
this
boy be a match?

Through wholehearted, sparkling prose, Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord offers a gentle reminder that belonging doesn’t always mean fitting in and that standing up for oneself sometimes means rocking the boat.
Touch Blue
, sure as certain, will touch your heart.

Copyright © 2006 by Cynthia Lord. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC, AFTER WORDS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

Excerpts of
Frog and Toad Are Friends
, copyright © 1970 by Arnold Lobel and from
Frog and Toad Together
, copyright © 1971, 1972 by Arnold Lobel, are reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

This book was originally published in hardcover by Scholastic Press in 2006.

Cover design by Kristina Albertson

e-ISBN 978-0-545-66620-6

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.