Cynthia Lord
Author of Rules
About the Author
Series
Works by Cynthia Lord
Hot Rod Hamster and the Wacky Whatever Race! (Scholastic Reader, Level 2) (2014) 429 copies, 3 reviews
Hot Rod Hamster and the Haunted Halloween Party! (Hot Rod Hamster) (Scholastic Readers, Level 2: Hot Rod Hamster) (2015) 169 copies
Hot Rod Hamster and the Awesome ATV Adventure! (Scholastic Reader, Level 2 Reader) (2015) 132 copies
Jelly Bean Scientist 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- writer
teacher
behavioral specialist
bookseller - Agent
- Tracey Adams
- Short biography
- (from Rules) Cynthia Lord is the mother of two children, one of whom has autism. She says, "I wrote Rules to explore some of my own questions about living with someone who sees the world so differently than I do, but also to show a full experience of family life with a child with autism: the happy moments, the heartbeaking ones, the ones that make me laugh."
Lord is a former teacher, behavioral specialist, and bookseller. She lives with her husband and their children in Maine. Rules is her first novel. Visit her at www.cynthialord.com. - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- New Hampshire, USA
Brunswick, Maine, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
I absolutely loved this book for many reasons. First, Rules seamlessly captures the ups and downs of having a sibling with disabilities. Similar to the main character, Catherine, I have a younger sister with Down syndrome. At twelve years old, I too was embarrassed by her antics and outbursts. I could relate with her desire for her brother to "fit in" with the other children. Another reason I loved this book was the characters. They were well-developed and believable. I have worked closely show more for years with students with Autism and I could see many similarities between those students and David. Catherine was just like me at her age; anxious and desperate to fit in. For example, she doesn't go to the video store with her father and David because she is worried what the other customers will think of her brother reading aloud the parental advisory warnings on the back of the movies. I'm sure many other girls reading this book could identify with her as well. A final reason I loved Rules was because of the descriptive language used to describe the setting. What initially drew me into this book were lines like "Low tide smells mud-black and tangy, but high tide smells clean and salty" (pg. 13-14). Lord does a fantastic job setting you right there with the characters, experiencing what they experience. This book perfectly conveys that there is correct way to be normal. Rules focuses on acceptance and love for people with all ability levels. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the impacts of people with disabilities can have on a family and community. show less
From the very first time I read this book, I loved it; and it quickly took a place among my all-time favorite books. RULES lets readers inside Catherine's head to see what it's like having a brother with autism. How many kids have to face some disability or other as a sibling? And how important this book is for them to see that they're not alone. Catherine perceives that she has all these extra duties to care for her brother, and she longs for a normal life, one in which she could have show more friends over and not worry what her brother will do or say. Let's face it: he's often embarrassing to the protagonist at the cusp of coming of age. Because we're seeing the story through Catherine's eyes, we're getting a slanted view, but we're getting the view that kids do see. Adults don't fare well in this book -- not the parents, and not the awful OT therapist who works with Jason. You've got to hate her condescending attitude as she creates insipid words for Jason to communicate. But Catherine gets it; she provides intriguing words and pre-teen lingo that invariably heightens jason's interest in and willingness to communicate. And of course the reason she understands Jason's needs is that she really learned through her brother. It takes Jason, though, to make her come to a greater sense of acceptance of her situation with her brother. show less
Quite short and quick, but it’s satisfying, there’s depth.
The premise is unique and loosely based on a real life scenario, where, to maintain their population enough to keep their school open, residents of an island bring foster children into their homes. I thought this walked the line pretty well of acknowledging that it’s an iffy reason to take up fostering but at the same time throughout the story you see that Aaron, as well as a little girl placed in another family, are genuinely show more welcomed, cared for, and included in their respective new homes.
Eleven year old Tess is such a likable main character, you grimace along with her whenever she comes in contact with the local bully, you’re hopeful that a new friendship might bloom between Tess and another girl, and even when you see Tess is maybe not making the wisest choices in order to ingratiate herself with her new foster brother, you know this kid’s heart is totally in the right place.
This story is told from Tess’s point of view, still through her eyes and through her efforts to get to know Aaron, you do get a really solid, and emotionally engaging glimpse of what Aaron’s been through in the foster system as well as his longing for his mom and the comfort he finds in music.
While the focus is on Tess’s new family dynamics, in the background of that there are picturesque descriptions (without going overboard) authentically capturing community, childhood, and summer, on an island. show less
The premise is unique and loosely based on a real life scenario, where, to maintain their population enough to keep their school open, residents of an island bring foster children into their homes. I thought this walked the line pretty well of acknowledging that it’s an iffy reason to take up fostering but at the same time throughout the story you see that Aaron, as well as a little girl placed in another family, are genuinely show more welcomed, cared for, and included in their respective new homes.
Eleven year old Tess is such a likable main character, you grimace along with her whenever she comes in contact with the local bully, you’re hopeful that a new friendship might bloom between Tess and another girl, and even when you see Tess is maybe not making the wisest choices in order to ingratiate herself with her new foster brother, you know this kid’s heart is totally in the right place.
This story is told from Tess’s point of view, still through her eyes and through her efforts to get to know Aaron, you do get a really solid, and emotionally engaging glimpse of what Aaron’s been through in the foster system as well as his longing for his mom and the comfort he finds in music.
While the focus is on Tess’s new family dynamics, in the background of that there are picturesque descriptions (without going overboard) authentically capturing community, childhood, and summer, on an island. show less
Tiger Lily is saving up money for an operation to cure her dog Lucky's blindness by painting bee houses to sell in her grandparents' store. When Lucky runs off, it's Salma, one of the migrant workers in the blueberry fields, who catches him, luring him with her sandwich. Lily's grandma sends Lily to bring Salma's family food, and Lily and Salma become friends, just when Lily most needs one - her old best friend ("peas in a pod") Hannah has gone boy crazy and things aren't the same between show more them anymore.
Salma helps Lily be "a little bit braver" than she is scared, and Lily is a good friend to Salma, too: she supports her when Salma decides to enter the Blueberry Queen pageant - the same pageant Hannah won last year, and that Lily's mother won three years in a row when she was a girl.
Quotes
"When you pretend, life can be any way you want it to be. So I imagine it better." (Salma to Lily)
Different is good. Different makes you pay attention. (remembered from audiobook, not found in text)
"To do brave things, you don't have to be hugely brave. You only have to be a little bit braver than you are scared."
Maybe when we see things all the time, we stop really looking at them. And it takes an artist, someone who can look past the ordinariness, to remind us how special they really are.
I think "almost" is one of the hardest kinds of losing. Because you could see all the way to winning before that door shut.
But it's so hard to change your mind once you've set your heart on something. show less
Salma helps Lily be "a little bit braver" than she is scared, and Lily is a good friend to Salma, too: she supports her when Salma decides to enter the Blueberry Queen pageant - the same pageant Hannah won last year, and that Lily's mother won three years in a row when she was a girl.
Quotes
"When you pretend, life can be any way you want it to be. So I imagine it better." (Salma to Lily)
Different is good. Different makes you pay attention. (remembered from audiobook, not found in text)
"To do brave things, you don't have to be hugely brave. You only have to be a little bit braver than you are scared."
Maybe when we see things all the time, we stop really looking at them. And it takes an artist, someone who can look past the ordinariness, to remind us how special they really are.
I think "almost" is one of the hardest kinds of losing. Because you could see all the way to winning before that door shut.
But it's so hard to change your mind once you've set your heart on something. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 25
- Members
- 12,797
- Popularity
- #1,832
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 665
- ISBNs
- 203
- Languages
- 5
- Favorited
- 5
