Rules by Cynthia Lord
1. “Sometimes you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got,” said the main character in this book. Pg 4
2. In this book the men in the moving van had wrinkled-forehead looks when the little brother of the main
character said, “If someone says ‘hi,’ you say ‘hi’ back.” Pg 6
3. The main character in this book wrote out directions in the back pages of her sketchbook in case little
brother woke up as a regular brother someday. Pg 9
4. The mom in this book reads Harry Potter to her daughter while the girl looks out the window for
something to draw. Pg 16
5. In the clinic the mom gives her daughter’s picture to a teenaged boy. Pg 28
6. A grown woman in this book gives the main character seven blank cards. Pg 47
7. The mom soothes her young son in this book by saying, “Shh, it’s all right. A bee won’t hurt you unless
you bother him.” Pg 64
8. The main character in this book sees everyone watching when a teenaged boy laughs a sharp bark like a
Canada goose. Pg 78
9. In which book does a character have a friend who is gone for the summer, visiting her dad in California?
p. 5
10. “Rated PG for adventure, action, and peril,” says a character in this book. Pg 95
11. In this book the therapist yells at her client, “Hi,” she says. “How’s the day been going?” Pg 103
12. The new girl tells the main character in this book she’s never been swimming in a pond. She says, “I’ve
only been swimming in pools or the ocean.” Pg 133
13. In order to be the earliest to have ripe tomatoes, the main character’s dad in this book starts the seeds in
pots on the kitchen windowsill while the snow is still deep on the ground. Pg 125
14. In what book does a child worry that her father enjoys spending time in his garden growing tomatoes
rather than spending time with her and her sibling?
15. A friend of the main character in this book says, “I’d scream if a fish started talking to me.” Pg 139
16. In what book does a person in a wheelchair wonder what it feels like to run? Open Closet Doors
Carefully, p. 119
17. In this book the main character misses building mazes and guinea-pig playgrounds on the floor with her
friend. Pg 181
18. The main character feels invisible when people in this book don’t look at her brother… they look around
him. Pg 194
19. In which book do characters quote from the book, Frog and Toad Together? Throughout book
20. In which book does a character buy a guitar for a gift? p.164
21. In which book does a character make many drawings for a new friend? Throughout the book
22. In what book does the main character like to draw? “Sometimes I can change how I feel about
something by drawing it.” Don’t Run Down the Clinic Hallway, p. 19
23. In which book does a character have to baby-sit a brother when their mom works in her at-home office?
p. 155 and other places throughout the book
24. In which book does a character love to go to the video store more than anything? p.2
25. In which book does a character try to help her brother know what is proper to do? Throughout the book
26. In what story did a young boy have to be reminded not to place toys in a fish tank?
27. In what book is a Barbie doll dropped in an aquarium? If You Don’t Have the Words, p. 55
28. In what book does a character use a communication book?
29. In what book is the reader introduced to a character’s communication book, full of word cards? Don’t
Run Down the Clinic Hallway, p. 19
30. In what book does the narrator state that talking to her brother is like being on a treasure hunt?
31. In what book does someone forget to knock before entering other family members’ bedrooms?
32. In what book does a woman named Mrs. Bowman sell her house to someone’s mother?
33. In what book do some of the characters take part in OT, an acronym for Occupational Therapy?
34. In what book does a character flicker his fingers up and down, like he’s playing the piano in the air?
Follow the Rules, p. 6
35. In what book is a mirror propped at an angle so the main character can watch someone while working on
a project? If You Can Only Choose, p. 77
36. In what book is a brother unable to stand to see puzzles undone? “He insists on doing the pieces in
lines, like he’s reading the puzzle.” If You Can Only Choose, p. 86