基础信息
纽伯瑞荣誉奖（Newbery Honor）成长小说，第一人称少女Catherine自述，故事发生在美国缅因州海边小镇的暑假，语言短句居多、日常口语量大，无暴力/情爱压抑桥段，是4–7年级英文记叙文、共情主题作文核心素材。
核心人物
1. Catherine（12岁女主）：热爱画画，为自闭症弟弟David手写社交规则，渴望普通同龄友谊，前期因弟弟的特殊行为自卑，后期学会接纳差异、坚守真诚。
2. David（8岁弟弟）：自闭症，执着遵守固定规则、痴迷《青蛙和蟾蜍》绘本，不懂社交潜规则，单纯直白，是Catherine成长的核心羁绊。
3. Jason：康复诊所认识的少年，腿部障碍无法说话，依靠沟通手册交流；Catherine给他手绘词汇卡片，二人成为灵魂挚友。
4. Kristi：新搬来的隔壁完美邻居，Catherine理想中的普通闺蜜，骨子里对外界残缺带有偏见。
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Today I’d like to share a warm Newbery Honor book called Rules, written by Cynthia Lord. It is a perfect middle-grade story about empathy, family and true friendship.
The story is told by Catherine, a twelve-year-old girl spending her summer in a quiet seaside town in Maine. All Catherine ever wants is a normal, quiet teenage life: hanging out with friends, drawing pictures freely, and enjoying summer without constant embarrassment. But her life can never be “normal”, because her eight-year-old brother David has autism.
David cannot read social signals. He will put toys into the fish tank, shout loudly at dinner, repeat lines from his favorite book Frog and Toad, or take off his pants in public. To help David navigate the confusing human world, Catherine writes dozens of simple rules for him, like “No toys in the fish tank” and “A peach is not a funny apple”. These rules are not just guides for David; they are also Catherine’s way to bring order to her messy, unpredictable life.
Every week, Catherine accompanies David to occupational therapy. In the clinic’s waiting room, she meets Jason, a boy in a wheelchair who cannot speak. He communicates entirely with a word book filled with printed cards. Catherine loves drawing, so she sketches colorful new word cards for Jason to express complicated feelings—words like “frustrated”, “wonderful”, and “lonely”. Gradually, they build a special, quiet friendship no one else understands.
Meanwhile, a girl named Kristi moves next door. Kristi is outgoing, popular, and everything Catherine imagines a perfect friend to be. Catherine hides Jason from Kristi, scared that her new neighbor will judge her for being friends with a disabled boy. She also feels ashamed of David’s strange behaviors, and she tries hard to pretend her family is ordinary.
The turning point comes when a school dance is held in town. Kristi invites Catherine, but Catherine lies and says she has no one to take. Jason finds out the lie and feels deeply hurt. At that moment, Catherine realizes she has made a terrible mistake: she valued others’ shallow opinions more than her loyal friend. She apologizes sincerely and invites Jason to the dance together.
At the dance, Kristi mocks Jason’s wheelchair and communication book. Catherine finally stops hiding and stands up for Jason. She understands a crucial truth: pretending to fit in will only make her lose herself and the people who truly care about her.
By the end of summer, Catherine’s view of “rules” changes completely. She used to think strict rules could fix all awkwardness, but she learns that kindness, listening and acceptance matter far more than rigid rules. David’s autism is not a flaw to hide, and Jason’s difference does not make him less worthy of friendship.
This book is easy to read with simple daily vocabulary, but it carries deep, warm ideas we can all write about in essays. It teaches us a forever lesson: just because someone looks or acts different, they do not deserve to be treated differently.
名词生字：
1. autism /ˈɔːtɪzəm/ n. 自闭症
2. occupational therapy n. 职业康复治疗
3. communication book 沟通手册
4. social cues 社交暗示
5. disability /ˌdɪsəˈbɪləti/ n. 残障，缺陷
6. empathy /ˈempəθi/ n. 共情，同理心
7. prejudice /ˈpredʒədɪs/ n. 偏见
8. sibling /ˈsɪblɪŋ/ n. 兄弟姐妹
9. routine /ruːˈtiːn/ n. 固定习惯，惯例
10. awkwardness /ˈɔːkwədnəs/ n. 尴尬
动词&形容词生字：
1. mimic /ˈmɪmɪk/ v. 模仿
2. clutch /klʌtʃ/ v. 紧紧攥住
3. shriek /ʃriːk/ v. 尖叫
4. exasperated /ɪɡˈzæspəreɪtɪd/ adj. 恼怒的，不耐烦的
5. resilient /rɪˈzɪliənt/ adj. 坚韧的
6. rigid /ˈrɪdʒɪd/ adj. 死板的，僵硬的
7. ashamed /əˈʃeɪmd/ adj. 羞愧的
8. sincere /sɪnˈsɪə(r)/ adj. 真诚的
9. navigate /ˈnævɪɡeɪt/ v. 应对（困难处境）
10. unravel /ʌnˈrævl/ v. 解开，理清（心结）
短语
1. work with what you’ve got 接纳现状，随遇而安
2. live up to others’ expectations 迎合他人期待
3. stand up for someone 为他人挺身而出
4. hide from judgment 逃避他人评判
5. navigate social situations 应对社交场合
6. hurt one’s feelings 伤害某人感情
7. fit in with the crowd 合群，融入群体
8. take pride in 为……感到自豪
9. out of the ordinary 与众不同
10. hold back the truth 隐瞒真相
摘抄佳句
1. Looking closer can make something beautiful. Sometimes I can change how I feel about something by drawing it.
细看之下，万物皆有美好。画画总能改变我看待事物的心态。
2. Just because someone looks different, doesn’t mean they want to be treated differently.
外表与众不同，不代表他们该被区别对待。
3. Sometimes you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.
人要学会接纳自己当下拥有的一切。（逆境、乐观立意）
4. When someone is upset, it’s not a good time to bring up your own problems.
他人难过之时，不该倾诉自己的烦恼。
5. It hurts how life goes on, unknowing.
旁人浑然不觉，生活照常运转，这种落差令人心酸。
6. I want to say, “You don't understand how hard it is to be responsible all the time for a brother you don't understand.”
我多想说：你们永远不懂，时时刻刻照顾一个无法沟通的弟弟有多煎熬。
7. Some people think they know who you are, when really they don’t.
很多人自以为看透了你，实则一无所知。
8. How else can hopes go but up?
希望除了向上生长，别无去向。