Rules, by Cynthia Lord

Do you have an annoying younger brother that you have to take care of all the time? Do you love him even though sometimes you can't stand him? Well, the main character, Catherine (in Rules, a novel by Cynthia Lord) does. She faces a storm of emotions from her autistic little brother David, but is of course protective of him, as well. While she feels jealous of the attention David gets from her parents and exasperated by just wanting to be a "normal" family, she also develops new friendships that test her strength of character and help her grow as a person, finally realizing what really counts are family and true friends. This book is a wonderful choice for discussion highlighting living with and loving those with autism, and others who have differing abilities. Lord makes it easy to be in Catherine's shoes as she experiences the typical emotions of adolescence mixed with family tribulation and challenges of social "norms". A great read for upper-elementary on up!
KL 4th/5th Book Club Facilitator