by Cynthia Lord
Grade level 6 and up
780L
Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules-from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public!"-in order to head off his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask. After meeting Jason at the occupational therapist, Catherine is forced to come to terms with: What is normal?
I read this as a "read-aloud" to my seventh graders a few years ago. I would start class with 5, 10 minutes reading this book- The students enjoyed it! I think I remember Jason played guitar? - Definitely a good read for students who do question "normalities" and who also make rules- not just for themselves, but for others.
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