This realistic fiction book is about a young girl, Catherine, struggling with life with a brother who has Autism. The story revolves around Catherine trying to teach David rules that typical children understand, but David needs to be taught, such as, "No toys in the fish tank." This story takes place during the summer, in which Catherine's best friend is away. Therefore, Catherine has high hopes that her new neighbor will become her best friend. In the meantime, Catherine goes to the doctor with her mother and brother and waits in the waiting room with her mother. There, Catherine meets a boy, Jason, who communicates through a storyboard and is in a wheelchair. This unexpected friendship ends up teaching Catherine about acceptance and true friendship.
I used this novel for my novel unit in one of my education courses in college. I loved this book and think it would work great for a unit since I already have one created for it.
I had students create a journal just like Catherine keeps in which students draw or make collages of scenes from the novel.
Students also create their own storyboard using word wall words from the novel. In the end, students must use their storyboards to communicate with a partner their favorite part of the story.
This book could also be used to talk about disability awareness during the month of March.
The following is a link to discussion questions for this novel: http://www.cynthialord.com/pdf/rules_discuss.pdf
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