State Library of Kansas  :  Kansas Center for the Book  :  Letters About Literature  :  Past Winners

2009 Winner: Hannah Billings (Level 2)

Book Title: Rules

Book Author: Cynthia Lord

Dear Cynthia Lord,

As I finished the last pages, of your inspiring book Rules I looked up and thought; just sat there and thought. I thought about how my brother and I compared to Catherine and David. Not like the usual comparisons as in Catherine is a girl and an older sister and so am I. I’m talking more about things like, when it comes to our brothers we both get sensitive. Catherine’s brother, David, has autism. My brother, Parker, has Tourette Syndrome (TS) and ADHD. He was 9 years old when he was diagnosed with TS and ADHD. (Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder. Kids with TS make repetitive movements and sounds, called tics.)

As I have stated before, both Catherine and I get sensitive and mad when people make fun of our brothers because of their autism or TS. We both share the feeling that since we are older than they are, we have to look out for them. One time at recess a group of kids came up to Parker and said, “You look dumb. Why do you twitch so much?” My brother didn’t know how to respond. When Parker came home and told the family at dinner, I was exasperated and mad. What those kids said was very mean and hurtful not only to my brother, but me too. Seeing my brother in pain because of what a bunch of stupid little, mean kids said to him is enough to infuriate anyone. After that he tried to hold his tics in at school afraid of being made fun of. Parker only has a mild case of Tourette Syndrome he blinks his eyes and twitches sometimes. (He takes medicine and it’s getting better.) At first when we noticed his tics, he was blinking his eyes more than normal, shrugging his shoulders, and making strange jaw movements. These things weren’t just once in a while they were occurring about 60 times in an hour.

Through Catherine, I learned that I needed to show more empathy toward everyone—especially my brother. I want him to feel like he can release his tics at home without being made fun of. He needs to feel that home is a safe environment where he can relax. His tics from his TS get worse under stress. Catherine made me realize that I need to be nicer to Parker. After reading this book I found that my brother is one of my closest friends and will always be…unless I mistreat him. Right now he looks up to me, if he continues to or not is my choice. I also realize that I need to be a positive role model for him by loving him no matter what.

Thank you so much for writing such an inspiring book. I got a lot out of reading your book, more than just pleasure; I learned an important and valuable lesson. Your book, Rules, has really made me realize that the relationship between my brother and I will either be good and long-lasting because of my decision to have empathy and be kind or it can be rough, unhappy, and unbearable if I choose to be unfeeling or relentless. I’d rather have a good relationship. It opened my eyes and made me open-minded. I want to be more like Catherine, nice, understanding, sympathetic, and compassionate. Rules gave me some very good advice! “Sometimes you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.” – Catherine

Sincerely,

Hannah Billings

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