by Cynthia Lord
And I dance.
Before I climb into bed, I circle the date on my calendar when Melissa will be home. I have so much to tell her, not the least of which is I danced with a boy who isn’t even related to me, and I liked it.
And on Tuesday, I’m not bringing my backpack to the clinic, only me. If Jason needs a word I’ll make it, but I’ll wait for him to ask.
I lift my shade and imagine a beam flashing from Kristi’s dark window, counting dashes and dots.
A-r-e y-o-u t-h-e-r-e?
But there is no light. Her window stays dark, only the streetlamps and the stars shine, white brightness.
The tiniest knock comes, and my door creaks open. David stands framed in the light from the living room. “No toys in the fish tank.”
I slide my slippers on and follow.
In the aquarium a toy wizard stands on the gravel, his wand raised, mid-spell. Standing beside the castle, he’s so big only his pointy shoe would fit through the tiny castle door.
Oops! Wrong spell!
And instead of a fierce dragon to slay, a huge, curious goldfish mouths the end of the wizard’s hat.
I can’t help but laugh.
“‘“What are you laughing at, Frog?”’” David asks, worried lines cutting his forehead.
I touch the tiny frog stamp on his hand and show him mine. “‘“I am laughing at you, Toad,” said Frog, “because you do look funny in your bathing suit.”’”
David smiles. “‘“Of course I do,” said Toad. Then he picked up his clothes and went home.’”
“The end.”
Tomorrow I’m going to tell Mom she has a point about David needing his own words, but other things matter, too. Like sharing something small and special, just my brother and me.
Kneeling beside David, our arms touching, our faces reflect side by side, in the glass.
I let that be enough.
About the Author
Cynthia Lord grew up next to a lake in rural New Hampshire. As a child, she loved to read and create stories. The earliest writing she remembers doing was a goofy song called “Ding Dong the Cherries Sing,” which she wrote at the age of four with her sister and forced everyone to listen to over and over. As Cynthia grew up, she wrote poems, newspaper articles, and stories.
As an adult, when Cynthia sat down to write her first children’s book, she knew it would be a middle-grade novel. As she recalls, “I remember being ten years old, lying on our pier, listening to the seagulls calling, and daydreaming about Borrowers and chocolate factories and secret gardens.”
A former teacher and bookseller, Cynthia still enjoys nature and reading a good book. And she hears plenty of seagulls at her home near the ocean in Maine, where she lives with her husband and two children. She says, “Though I have children of my own now, when I write it’s always for that daydreaming girl I used to be.”
Rules, Cynthia’s first novel, was a Newbery Honor and Schneider Family Book Award winner and a New York Times bestseller. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed novel Touch Blue, and the picture books Hot Rod Hamster and Happy Birthday, Hamster. Visit her at www.cynthialord.com.
Q&A with Cynthia Lord
Q: Where did the idea for Rules come from?
A: I have two children, a daughter and a son, and my son has autism. One day when my daughter was about ten years old, she asked me, “Mom, how come I never see families like mine in books and on TV?” I didn’t know how to answer her, so I went looking for children’s books that included characters with severe special needs. I did find some, but most of the books I read seemed very sad to me. Sadness is part of living with someone with a severe disability, but it’s only one part. It can also be funny, inspiring, heartwarming, disappointing, frustrating—everything that it is to love anyone and to live in any family.
Q: How much did you draw on your own family for this book? Are your kids anything like Catherine and David?
A: The biggest elements in Rules are from my imagination. The characters are not my own family and the story itself isn’t true. Some of the small details in the book are real, though. My son used to repeat lines from books, and he loved Arnold Lobel’s stories. He also liked to drop things in our fish tank, which frustrated me. Then one day I realized I was the only person who minded (the fish loved having company!). It started me thinking about all those social “rules” we follow, sometimes without even knowing why. Catherine is more like me than my daughter. My daughter is an artist, though. So she was a big help when I was writing the scenes where Catherine is drawing.
Q: What were you like as a child?
A: I grew up in a house beside a lake in a small town in New Hampshire. As a child, I liked to go exploring on my bike. I also loved to play my clarinet in the school band (though I didn’t always like to practice!), imagine stories, teach my dog new tricks, go swimming with my friends, and read.
Q: What is your writing process like? Do you have a special place or time of day?
A: My writing day starts before dawn. I usually get up around four in the morning. That routine started when my children were small, because it was the one time I could depend on. Now I get up early, just because I love that time of day. It’s quiet and peaceful and I like to see the sun come up. I live in Maine near the coast, so in the summer, I open the window beside my desk, and I can smell the ocean. My dog gets up with me, and then he goes to sleep near my feet while I write. I also go to my local library to work sometimes in the afternoons.
Q: What was your favorite part of writing Rules?
A: I loved so many parts, but writing the dialogue between the guinea pigs was especially fun.
Q: How did Jason’s character come to you?
A: My own son has had years of occupational and speech therapy appointments. One day, when I was waiting for him to finish his session, a boy and his mother came into the clinic waiting room. The boy used a wheelchair and a communication book, like Jason does. He and his mom were having an argument, and two things really struck me. First, I was surprised that someone could have an argument using a communication book. Second, I realized he could only use words that someone else had given him. I wondered if there were words he wished he had. That boy isn’t Jason (because I don’t know that boy), but that’s where his character began for me.
Q: What do you do when you’re not writing?
A: I like to read, watch movies and TV, and walk beside the ocean. I spend a lot of time traveling and answering mail from readers, which is always fun. I also love to be home with my family and my dog.
Q: One of Catherine’s rules for David is “Not everything worth keeping has to be useful.” What is your favorite possession?
A: I have many special possessions, but one of my favorites is my Newbery Honor award. When I look at it, I know that dreams can come true.
Q: Catherine has two guinea pigs, Nutmeg and Cinnamon, and then of course there are the family fish. Are there any pets at your house?
A: I love animals, so we’ve had so many pets over the years. We’ve had hamsters, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils, fish, frogs, and dogs at our house. At the moment, we only have one dog. His name is Milo, and he’s half Pomeranian and half Maltese. He looks like a baby polar bear, because he’s all white, except for his black eyes and nose.
Q: I hear you have a pretty extensive rubber duck collection. How and when did that start?
A: I love Rules’ cover. The first time I saw it, I thought it looked appealing and fun, but there was one problem. There was no rubber duck in my story. I thought to myself, “Kids will expect a duck in this book,” and so I traded one of the toys that David drops in the fish tank for a rubber duck right before Rules was published. Now, people give me ducks! I have duck pen holders, duck wall hangings, duck ornaments, duck toys, and lots of rubber ducks. I’ve discovered them on my signing table at events, floating in punch bowls, in my Christmas stocking, etc. It’s great fun!
A few ducks from Cynthia’s collection
Q: What do you hope readers will take away from Rules?
A: First, I hope they will simply enjoy the story. But beyond that, I also hope that meeting David and Jason in Rules will help readers to have less fear and more understanding toward the people with disabilities in their own communities and schools.
A New Set of Rules
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.
Inside Catherine’s Sketchbook
Catherine never goes anywhere without her sketchbook. Learn how to draw a guinea pig by following the steps below!
Dots and Dashes: Messages in Morse Code
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.
Answers:
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!
Further 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.
Don’t miss Cynthia Lord’s second novel, Touch Blue
“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.