I loved Cynthia Lord‘s Rules, and honestly feel we could all do with a few rules, plus the compassion to know the rules aren’t where life is really lived.  This book is great for both of those, and shows the struggle between compassion and peer pressure that’s so common when dealing with someone a bit outside the norm.

My brother just younger than me was a bit like that.  Not autisitic, but with some learning disabilities and odd behaviors that set other people off.  With him, it was mostly intentional, but I remember the feeling of wanting to both show my loyalty and love for my brother, and also cage in his behavior so I wasn’t always trying to smooth things over that he’d ruffled up.  It was probably especially noticeable to me because of the usual siblings struggles which come with being ‘next in line’ to each other.  But, I’m sure this book would have helped, and even reading it as an adult it’s reached back in time to my teen self and give her a hug, so she knows it’ll all be okay.  Teens need to hear that, even when they’re no longer teens!

My favorite rules from the book:

• Not everything worth keeping has to be useful.
• If you can only choose one, pick carefully.
• If you want to get away from someone, check your watch and say, “Sorry, gotta go!”

And my favorite moment–despite loving all the pictures Catherine makes for Jason, and the great ending to the book, is undoubtedly the moment when Catherine takes Jason for a run, in his wheelchair.  Firstly because it’s so awesome to think of Jason getting to go fast, almost run, when so much of his life is filled with stops and slows.  Secondly because of the courage Catherine shows–she’s flinchy about looking different, making a mistake, or accidentally hurting Jason, but she does it anyway.  And, thirdly, because it so beautifully epitomizes the power of people coming together to share their lives and come away stronger.  It’s what Rules can do for readers, and it lifts my heart whenever I think of it.

So, what rule would I write myself?  I’ve got a couple candidates:

• Being scared doesn’t always mean you should stop.

and

• Reaching out is the first step to holding someone’s hand.

What would your rule be, if you were to make one for yourself?  I can guess what Apricot-kitties rule would be–something about never leaving a mouse hole unguarded!

“Not at all, you have to leave it unguarded once you’ve eaten all the mice–otherwise no new mice will come!  Besides, my rule would be something more down the lines of ‘never do now what can be put off til after your nap.'”

Hmm…that sounds an awful lot like a quote I’ve heard attributed to Mark Twain.  But I suppose that’s as good a source to draw from as any!

Have a great Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, and drop by Shannon’s blog for more great reads and interviews!

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