Rules is the debut novel

Debut novel

A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...

 by author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

 Cynthia Lord

Cynthia Lord

Cynthia Lord is a children's author. Lord's debut novel Rules was published by Scholastic, Inc. in 2006, and was a 2007 Newbery Honor book and winner of the Schneider Family Book Award.-Beginning/Childhood :...

. Released by Scholastic, Inc. in 2006, it was a Newbery Honor book in 2007. It is also a Sunshine State Young Readers book for 2008–2009 and won the Schneider Family Book Award.
Catherine is a 12-year-old girl, her eight-year-old brother, David, has autism

Autism

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...

 and Catherine explains how this makes her life complicated and causes her to wish that her life was a bit more "normal".