I'm not usually one for sweeping statements, but I think this is one of the most perfect books I've ever read. Cynthia Lord was robbed of the Newbery with this one! My heart went out to Catherine and her struggle between her loyalty to, and frustration with, her autistic brother. Although she is accustomed to what David's disability means for her family, she keeps a list of RULES "so if my someday-he'll-wake-up-a-regular-brother wish doesn't ever come true, at least he'll know how the world works, and I won't have to keep explaining things." But as the story goes on, Catherine's friendships -- with not-so-nice new neighbor Kristi, and paraplegic Jason -- reveal that perhaps these rules are not for David as much as Catherine herself, as she fights to define "normal" and her mother's statement that "real friends understand." 
 I laughed a lot, and also cried at least three times.